Soul mated: Choose Your Own Romance
by Rae1
Summary: A violent beginning. Duo-centric. A soul will find its mate and it does not matter how. Action/Adventure pending. Will include multile Duo-pairings... if it's ever finished. At the moment, it's on permanent hiatus.
1. Life

Author's note: The first chapter is simply to introduce you to the main character in such a way that it makes sense for what happens to happen. Do NOT be fooled by what it seems right now. It's a little long, but we should be able to get into it quick enough.  
  
Also, this is my first Gundam fic, and it's AU, so I'm taking some liberty with the characters. Yaoi is inevitable when I write, so don't be surprised. No pairing is indicated yet, nor do I have one figured. I like Duo with anyone, so it's all up for grabs.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own.  
  
~~~~~_____~~~~~  
  
"You guys have yet to realize that gender is as unimportant as race. If the only reason behind falling in love was to procreate, then why are so many people in relationships born sterile? If it's their job to produce offspring, they're failing as we speak. They will never have children, and they will never help continue the lineage of the world. So, if sex and love are only for breeding purposes, why are some men and women born unable to produce?"  
  
"You can twist just about anything." Violet eyes swung to the speaker, taking in the Ayrian looks of the young lady. Blue eyes, blonde hair, tall and slender build. "Then you think that if someone is open to love, they can truly fall in love with just about anyone?"  
  
"Exactly. The reason that people don't fall in love with the first person they see is because we're all raised to believe that there is only one person for us, and so we damn well better make the most of our search. We can't just fall in love with anyone, right?"  
  
The remainder of the room's occupants, all young ladies of noble breeding, nodded, eyes glued tot he speaker. Brown hair, loosely held back by a violet ribbon, hung to mid-back, brushing the ground as the attached head shook and moved with emphasis. Violet eyes met those of its audience boldy, refusing to back down.  
  
"We're conditioned from the time we're born to fall in love with Prince Charming, and Princess Wimpy-Ass." The girls laughed. "Ladies are told to be genteel, polite, soft-spoken, and all that crap! Guys are supposed to be sensitive and gentlemanly, unless they're with a group of other guys in which case they're supposed to be neandrethals, beating each other over the heads as they compare their latests conquests."  
  
"That's not exactly what my mother told me to expect." Exotic eyes met the speakers. The girl, oldest of the group and the most out-spoken, had blond hair, braided on either side of her head so that a braid fell on each shoulder. "Men are brave, faithful, strong, and handsome."  
  
Many of the others nodded, then looked back at the original speaker. "Of course. That's the pretty end of it. Men believe in justice and truth, righ? Wrong. Men are horrible, low-bellied liars. They are the filth of the earth. Women are just as bad. It's not a gender issue. We both have are problems. Think about it. Most men are so closed off from their emotions that they wouldn't know love if it hit them in the head with a billy-club."  
  
"Let's not go down that road." Relena smiled at the blonde, who had been about to interrupt, and the brunette, whose mouth was open in mid-tirade. "I want to hear more about your theory on love. Please."  
  
The other girls nodded, and the brunette sighed. The twinkle in the violet eyes belied the frustration in the small exhale of air, however, and the audience settle back to listen some more.   
  
"Love is love. We can chose who we love, but not who we fall in love with. I can go out tomorrow, and walk past every man on the face of the planet, and realize that I could never truly love a one of them. I could walk past every woman on the face of the planet, and not fall in love. There may be no love for me. That would not be a choice, that would be a simple fact."  
  
"You don't think that there's someone for everyone?"  
  
"No. I think that there are several someone's, and it's pure luck if you meet a one of them. Love and fate are that way. I could walk out of here tonight and fall in love with the first man on the street. He may love me back, he may not. It's fate. He would be my mate, but I would not be his. Since he's not it, does that mean that there's no one? I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that I could be alone for the rest of my life."  
  
"Some would say that that's just wistful thinking." Sally spoke into the slight pause. "We can all end up old maids. It's simply a matter of chance and opportunity. If a rich, handsome man walks up to that door, and asks you to marry him, would you refuse him because you happen to be attracted to the pauper begging on the street behind him?"  
  
"Yes." No hesitation. "I'm sorry, but I will never marry for wealth, or comfort, or because it's easier. I will take the hardest road if it means that I can find love at the end. The more you're willing to work, the more of a payoff you get. If you take the easy way out, then it's all for nothing."  
  
"You say that gender is no issue." Violet eyes swung to a smallish brunette curled into a corner of the sofa. "You have professed, time and again, an interest in the male sex. Does your new position mean that you would give up most of what you have for a woman? Because, lets face it, your family will never approve."  
  
"I know." Violet eyes took a sad look. "If I were to fall in love with a woman, my family could be damned. I will not sacrifice love for love. It's pointless. If they could not accept me for what I am, then they don't love me as much as I love them."  
  
A young woman with dark blonde hair slid off one end of the couch and onto the floor. They all turned to her as she regarded the speaker. "You speak very well, Duet[1]." The two girls stared at each other for a moment before Une smiled. "You make it all sound so easy. But there is more to it than familial pressure."  
  
"Society, and the norms of a hostile nation that doesn't like anything different." The brunette nodded, brushing her hair away from her face absentmindedly. "I know. But if I were in love, it wouldn't matter. The only thing that matters are the ones in love. Love cannot be wrong, until it intentionally harms another. I can be in love with the same person as one of you. It will hurt you if I get him, but the pain is not intentional, therefore it is not wrong."  
  
"But if you love someone, and you tear them away from someone they were happy with, and make them both miserable..."  
  
"Then it's wrong." Relena added her input, looking at her friends. Sally, whose hair was just slightly darker than hers, then Une, whose hair was a strawberry blonde, and then Duet, with the dark brown hair and red highlights. "You approve of Milliard's decision, then?"  
  
She brought up the subject that had started the whole debate. Duet nodded, her violet eyes smiling. "I think it's wonderful that he and Treize are truly happy together. I know that it hurt Noin, but I wouldn't worry too much about her. She's resilient." Violet eyes flashed to Une. "It's a common trait amongst our little group."  
  
"I am by-and-large over Treize Kushrenada, Duet. Never fear. I will not start missing our chit-chats over that man." She smiled, and straigthened up a little more. "Noin will be back with us soon, no fear."  
  
"If my brother hadn't left things so late, this never would have had to be such a horrid thing."  
  
"I hope your referring to all the plans that it took to long, and not to the fact that it happened at all."   
  
Relena laughed. "Of course. I love my brother, and I wish him the best happiness. If this is what pleases him, and makes him happy, then who am I to say that it shouldn't be this way?"  
  
"Exactly!" Duet raised her arms in triumph. "That's it exactly. Half of the people that your brother used to call friends have exiled him at the first word of homosexual. And I respect him so much for his strenght in overcoming whatever pressure was applied and going through with what he knew to be right."  
  
"He's an exceptionally strong person." Une added her agreement, stretching her legs out in front of her. The bulky blue dress she was wearing bunched up around her legs. "Especially doing that in front of such a large crowd."  
  
Duet laughed. "Did you see the expresson on Dorothy's face? She thought that you were her only rival." They all laughed together, before violet eyes narrowed. "I can't believe that she caused such a ruckus in the middle of the church."  
  
They all frowned, remembering. Sally was the next to speak. "I'm glad that Noin supported Milliard in the end." They all nodded in agreement. "Of course, I think someone should have slapped Dorothy long ago, but today was a good day for it."  
  
They spent a few minutes in silence, reflecting. Duet brushed her hair back again, then fixed the strap on her bra. Relena fixed the creases in her Maid of Honor dress, picking off invisible lint. "I'm glad to see that Quatre was there."  
  
"He said that he's been feeling a lot better lately." Sally added, ready for a new way to break up the silence. "Since they took him to that new doctor, he hasn't had quite so many problems. They finally got his medicine figured out, I guess."  
  
"That's good." Une interjected. "That poor boy deserves whatever can make him happy." They all nodded in agreement again, not knowing which words to use to make up the silence. Duet looked at the clock.  
  
"I have to be going." She stood up, looking down at her friends with a small smile. "I love you, guys." They smiled up at her as she made her way gracefully around the furniture to the door. "Hey, Lena? If your brother calls, tell him that I think it's great."  
  
"I will. We love you, Du." They all waved goodbye, and the brunette stepped into the corridor. She made her way down the hall and to the front door of the stately mansion. The butler wasn't around, and she didn't feel like disturbing him, so she found her own coat in the closet and put it on, then let herself out the door.  
  
The night was slightly chilly, the slightest of breezes blowing against her thin dress as she walked to the sidewalk and turned towards home. Her house was only four blocks away and it would take less time to walkt than to call the house for a car. She started that way with an easy stride, her feet moving easily within the high heels.  
  
The moon showed overhead, and she smiled up at it. With a quick glance around the area, she deduced that there was no one else around. With an impish grin, she took her shoes off, and then spun. It was quite a sight, this young girl with her hair flying around her as she spun under the moon in the dark night. She laughed freely, the sound a sweet twinkling in the air.  
  
After a few minutes of this, she sobered enough to start in the direction of her house again, enjoying the feel of the still warm pavement beneath her feet. The day had been hot, and she could still feel the residual heat on the soles of her feet. "It has been a glorious day."  
  
"'m 'appy to 'ear it, miz.[2]" She spun around, her eyes widening at the sight of a young teen in the shadows. His build was similar to hers, but made more threatening by the appearance of a knife. "'Cuz when ye don' manage to get 'one wit' all yer money, ye might feel kindly 'nuf to let it go wit'out callin' de cops."  
  
"Right." She raised an eyebrow as she drew in a deep breath. She took in his ragtag appearance, and the thin, guant look to his face, and then took off her coat. "Here. All my money and personal possessions are in the pockets. She waited for him to take it, and then spread her arms wide. "As you can see, I haven't any other place to put things."  
  
He stared at her for a moment, displaying his shock in a slack-jawed expression. "Wat game is dis?"  
  
She smiled. "It's no game. Tonight, I will go home and be cuddled after my horrible misfortune. You, on the other hand, will be left to fend for yourself. I by far would rather be in my shoes, money or no. There should be enough in the pockets to last you for a while. If not, sell the coat. It's real fur, so it should fetch a good price."  
  
His eyes widened. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.  
  
Her eyes softened. He was only a boy, a young man on the verge of growing up in a world that didn't seem to know he needed it. "Go on. Take it. If anyone asks, my name is Duet. This is my gift to you. I would give you more if I had it, but I don't."  
  
He took a step back, his natural instinct to distrust her being pushed aside by a faint smile. "Tank ya, Miz."  
  
"Be careful walking home." She called after him, staring at his fastly disappearing form with pity. She bowed her head, her eyes closed. "This is what I hate. The world's inability to love. If that is my test, lord, it wasn't a difficult one."  
  
She looked back up, staring into the darkness where the boy had disappeared.   
  
"If you never know anything, young man, know that you were loved." She turned to cross the street, her bare feet making their dainty way to the tar and pebbles of the road. With her head bowed and her dark hair hanging over her face, she was a mere shadow in the road, the dark violet of her dress pulling at the shadows to camouflage her.  
  
It was no wonder then, that the drunk driver who rounded the corner at that instant didn't see her. His headlights were off, and the streetlamps didn't cast enough light in the road to bring her out of her illusionary cover.  
  
Violet eyes had barely looked up when she felt the impact jar her body, breaking bones the instant she connected with first the bumper, and then the hood and windshield. The driver didn't stop as her body was flipped over the roof before crashing back to the ground in a bloody pool.  
  
~~~~~_____~~~~~  
  
Hopefully, the next part will be up soon. It will explain a good many things. For a brief summary, I'll kind of tell you what happened. Brief, hell. The summary is nearly as long as the story, just not quite as nicely *hehe* written.  
  
The girls are talking, the girls being Relena, Une, Sally, and a girl named Duet [1]. Duet is the name, horribly unoriginal, that I figured would work for the female version of Duo. No, this story isn't about how the guy and girl find each other, and about how Duo-ish *SHE* is. It will be shounen-ai, and Duo will make *HIS* appearance soon.  
  
The event that has brought them together is the wedding of Milliard Peacecraft (Zechs Marquise), Relena's brother, and Lucrezia Noin. If you paid attention, you'll notice that that's not exactly what happened.  
  
Mil was supposed to marry Noin, but he realized as he watched Noin come down the aisle that he couldn't put them both through the misery of being married to each other. He said that he couldn't marry her, and then ran of with Treize (who is a good guy, because it suits my purposes).  
  
Dorothy, who wanted Treize as much as Lady Une, who is simply Une here, because I don't know her full name was left behind to bash them specifically and gays in general. In steps Noin, the scorned bride, who slaps her a good one.  
  
I don't know Dorothy. I'm sure she's wonderful on the show. Wouldn't know. Noin, I like, along with Une and Sally. Relena I can take or leave.  
  
[2] If you all remember this little thing, it was next to the greeting from the young man at the end. He is, essentially, unimportant. He's just something I put in so that you can see how wonderful Duo (Duet) is. Kind of like praising him before he comes into the ficcie.  
  
Confused? Good. I'll explain more next chapter. 


	2. Death

For the unreligious, please bare with me. This idea came by itself, and it just happens to, you knwo, be moral. For the most part. I can't start having fun with it until I set the whole thing up.  
  
  
  
  
Awareness came in degrees. First, the sensation of warmth. The security of a warm embrace, the comfort of a friendly hug. The heat of a bubble bath. But she couldn't tell what part of her was warm, simply that she was. She existed, and existence wasn't a bad thing...  
  
Then came pressure. Pressure on her back, pressure on her legs, pressure everywhere. It started out small, just the barest of touches along what she thought must be her skin. The feeling intensified, grew clearer, sharper, until little pinpricks of pain began to flash behind her eyelids in tempo to the pain slashing through her body. Just a pinch, then push, then an all out crushing of every fiber of her being.  
  
She could feel the stars crashing into her body as they forced it into a small little area, like trying to jam her living body into a space the size of a computer harddrive (or, 1ftx2ftx6in)...  
  
Pain followed, crushing her beneath the dead weight of her body...  
  
Then, nothing...  
  
A white light, a feeling of comfort. The pain was pushed away as something wrapped itself around her, holding her close to a presence that emanated love. She wanted to smile, to sigh and hug the feeling closer, but it disappeared before she could find a hand to lift towards it.  
  
Eternity passed, the centuries and eons fading together as she floated in a bliss of nothingness...  
  
She opened her eyes, squinting in the faint light that reached her eyes. A mirror candle would have blinded her in that instant, a signal that her eyes hadn't been used for a long time. "Hello?"  
  
Her voice tore from her throat, and she brought her hands to her neck quickly, feeling the rawness of her unused vocal cords. Around her, the light swirled with the darkness, until she couldn't tell one from the other. Her eyes closed instinctively against the confusing whirl, and she moved her hands from her neck to her head, rubbing at her temples.  
  
She felt lathargic, as if she was just rousing from a deep slumber and her mind hadn't fully awakened yet. She wanted to sink back into that void, but she forced her eyes open instead. Violet eyes blinked, blurry. There was a pressure at the back of her neck, and it made her want to shut her eyes again.  
  
"I will not sleep." Her voice was husky, even to her long-neglected ears, and she winced as the sound reverbrated through her head. "I! Will! Not! Sleep!"  
The world tipped, and she dropped backwards, her arms flailing. Instead of hitting the ground, her body floated for a time before she realized that she was on her feet again.  
  
Eyes open, dizzyiness, fatigue, determination, eyes closed...she repeated the cycle several times until a vague figure seemed to step out of the whirling cloud of light and dark. Her mouth opened, her lips trembling as she tried to form words. A blanket of complacency was settled over her, and she watched as the shape drew closer, until it stood directly in front of her.   
  
It looked human, but her eyes couldn't focus, and she could barely think.  
  
"Hello, Duet." She sighed, shaking her head in defeat at the unwillingness of her body to work. "Have no fear, Duet."  
  
"I died." The words tumbled forth, causing her to cough as she fought with the thickness in her throat.  
  
"Yes, you did. However, you may be given another chance." She wiped tiredly at her eyes, where tears had formed during her bout of coughing. "Your last moments on earth were spent in humility and selfless love. A martyr and a saint could not have died better. On earth, you have already learned the lesson of forgiving. That part of your test is done."  
  
She blinked slowly, forcing her eyes to stay open. She licked her lips. "Part?" The word came a little easier than before.  
  
"Only part of it. In a way, you have challenged what was originally planned for you." She opened her mouth to question the pause, but the figure continued. "That's not a bad thing, Duet, just different. It seems that you made quite a few statements while alive that someone has taken an interest in."  
  
"Really?" The figure laughed.   
  
"Really. I am Shinigami. The god of death. I was called forth to take you on to eternity, but they have an alternative for you. If you so desire."  
  
"Alterna-" She inhaled sharply, feeling a burning feeling in her chest that began to spread through her entire body.  
  
"Another choice. You can go on to eternity, and a forever of bliss." The figure paused. "Or, you can return to earth. You will be given a new body, because the one you had was damaged beyond repair."  
  
"Catch?" She wanted to put her hands on her hip and glare at this...this person, but her whole body was trembling, and it took most of her concentration to stay on her feet.  
  
"You gave a very pretty speech about love, and all about how much you would do for love, and all the pretty rules and regulations of love." She cocked an eyebrow, ignoring the pain. She wanted to deny that it had been that much, but she simply stared at the outline of a person she could not see clearly. "It has been decided that you have challenged Death."  
  
"You." A laugh.  
  
"Yes. You have challenged me, and it has been offered me to challenge you. Go on to your Eternity, or return to earth for the purpose that has been agreed upon.  
  
"Purpose?"  
  
"I can not tell you that. You will know when the time is right. Until that time, you will be given a new body, complete with your memories. A life will be given to this new body, but you will have complete rein over it. All choices are yours, and all decisions are yours."  
  
"Control?"  
  
"Absolute. When the time comes, you will know the reason that you have been sent back, and at that point in time, it will be up to you. You can stay in that life, with all the hardships that it entails, or you can return here."  
  
"I don't understand." She grimaced as the force of three words did more damage than her one word questions.  
  
"You will return, and begin a new life with full knoweledge of the life you have lived before, including the memory of your death. You have a lifetime to fulfill the challenge, and you can do whatever you desire in that time. However, if at the end of a time it has been decided that you have failed us, we will remove you from that life, and reincarnate you to earth to be retested."  
  
"Fun." The figure laughed again.  
  
"I'm glad you think so. As of now, you belong to Shinigami. Your life is mine, and your life belongs to you. Just remember, that happiness can only be achieved through love, and the purpose of life is to find happiness."  
  
~~~~~_____~~~~~  
  
The nurse watched as violet eyes blinked open, staring up at the world with a vague look of interest. "Doctor! He's awake!" Footsteps echoed in the sterile little room, as a man came to stand beside the hospital bed.  
  
"Well, hello!" The eyes turned to the smiling man, gazing at him with growing focus. The doctor and the nurse watched as first realization, and then confusion clouded those eyes. The doctor held up a hand when his patient started to speak. "I wouldn't advise talking right now. Your throat was damaged in the accident, and it's going to take some time to heal."  
  
The nurse smiled comfortingly, but the violet eyes that peered at her took a suspicious glint. One brown eyebrow raised, and the stare turned into a glare. The woman smiled nervously, glancing at the doctor to gauge is reaction.  
  
"The nurse will bring you something to drink in a moment." He waved to the woman, who left hurriedly. "I'd ask you how you're doing, but your eyes look rather alert. If you'd be so kind, I'd like to make sure that no damage was sustained to your spinal cord. We'll start by wiggling your toes, then your fingers, and then lifting her legs and arms."  
  
Violet eyes blinked, and then the brunette nodded, flashing a warning through dark eyes that seemed to threaten bodily harm if the doctor tried anything funny.  
  
"I'm thinking that you don't like doctors in general. That's okay. I'm not really a doctor, I only play one on television." Eyebrow up, eyes glaring without amusement. "Sorry, a little bedside humor. How about those toes?"  
  
The patient wiggled toes, fingers, and eyebrows upon command. The legs followed, somewhat stiffly, as if the brunette wasn't certain if the limbs would respond to the silent command. The arms went up and came down easily.  
  
The nurse returned. She tried to smile again, but the patiently simply held out one slender, long-fingered hand, took the glass, and sipped at it daintily. It was lukewarm, probably from a neglected pitcher in the hallway, but it worked to relief some of the tension in an otherwise dry and tight throat.  
  
"Well, everything seems to be in working order. I'll be back in a few hours to see how everything else is working. You should be able to get up and move without difficulty, though I would advise against leaving the room. The bathroom is through that door, and there's a robe on the chair by your bed."  
  
The brunette nodded carefully, turning the malevolent violet gaze toward the window. "If you need anything, just push the button to the right of the pillow. There is someone in the nurse's station at all times." The slender hand waved at them in dismissal, the patient refusing to glance back at them.  
  
They left, leaving the brunette in the stuffy silence of the hospital. A sigh, and then a slight smile. The hands came up, and the violet eyes stared at them for a moment, acquinting themselves with the look and feel of the tools. The right leg came up, and was scratched by one slender finger. The smile widened.  
  
The fingers tapped on the metal railing of the bed, before the patient grew suddenly restless and sat up. A careful manuever brought two feet to the floor, causing the brunette to wince at the feel of the cold linoleum. Hesitant steps to the chair, the watching of the hand moving to the robe, and then the ungraceful and hesitant act of putting it on.  
  
The patient moved slowly towards the bathroom, taking small steps and glaring as the door approached so slowly. Open the door, step inside, shut it again. Glance in the mirror. Violet eyes meshed in the mirror, so familiar, and yet different. The same brown-red hair, though the bangs were a little longer.  
  
A heart-shaped face, with a single thin scratch down one cheek. Quite unremarkable, really, though amazing in the differences as memory met reality in the reflective glass.  
  
After several moments of study, the patient frowned, taking in the strong jaw, and the angular nose. Very sturdy, very reassuring in firmness, very...male.  
  
Violet eyes swept down as slender hands moved the robe and hospital gown aside to stare in wide eyed amazement at what the slight coverings hid. A gasp and a knock at the door.  
  
"Mr. Maxwell? Are you okay?" 


	3. Body

Author's note: If something confuses you, go ahead and question it in the review. I may get to it later, or I may have overlooked something. This goes a little further, and will leave more questions, but I can't answer all of them yet. However, I will do what I can.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

He moved as if in a dream. Open the door for the nurse; assure her that everything was all right. Yes, he could dress himself. Of course he'd be ready to leave by the end of the hour. No, he didn't feel rushed. She smiled, her eyes a little friendlier now that his weren't glaring at her. With a gentle reassurance, she left him alone in the bathroom, shutting the door for him, but not before she handed him his clothes.

He looked in the mirror, taking everything in. The angelic face and the flawless skin of a young man. Brown hair, lacking any other coloration, hung limply around his shoulders; the long locks covering his chest and cascading down his back in tangles and waves. The features were almost familiar, and yet strikingly not. The gentle roundness of puberty had slimmed and faded into the lean face of a man in the first years of adulthood. The violet eyes, the same eyes that Duet had faced everyday for fifteen years, stared back at this person with the heart shaped face. 

"My eyes." The voice was deeper, definitely husky. A smile lighted the features, teeth flashing in the dim lighting. "Hello, Mr. Maxwell." Slight accent from the newness of the vocal cords of this body. She...HE could deal with that, no problem. A laugh, rumbling out of his chest with ease. "My eyes, my voice, my life."

He kept his eyes to the mirror as he let the robe slip to the floor, and then slowly untied the hospital gown. It joined the robe in a puddle, and he took a chance to study this new self.

"I would have fallen in love with me." There was no doubt that the figure before the mirror was beautiful. The body was slender, but he could feel the muscles and strength. This body was not weak, not like Duet's had been. He blushed as he looked down at himself, taking in some of the most obvious differences. "Hello, Mr. Maxwell. Please take this time to come to know yourself well."

He laughed again, reaching out a hand to place a tapered finger against the glass. The nails were short, and he could tell by the unevenness that it was from biting. Nail biter in one life, nail biter in the next. A soft chuckle as he stared himself downs, trying to assimilate everything. He had a new body, and a new meaning to life. He had a mission, he knew, but it didn't seem important as he gazed at himself. 

"Narcissistic. Great. I'm going to have to pry myself away from every mirror I see. At least that's something that hasn't changed. I still have an eye for the guys." He smiled to himself, and then froze. His eyes widened. "That's what this is? Great. I can handle that." He took a deep, studying breath and dropped his hand, turning away to sort through the clothes that the nurse had given him.

Black jeans that slid up his hips and hugged him tightly. He squirmed a little bit. Ladies weren't supposed to wear tight clothes, and it felt awkward. Good, but awkward. Something he could definitely get used to. A loose-fitting, long-sleeved dress shirt was next, followed by black socks, and a pair of heavy black boots. He was starting to notice a pattern. In between the layers of clothing, he found a comb and hair-tie.

"You can not expect me to comb out my hair using a comb!" He glared at the offending tool, staring at his reflection in the mirror. There would be no choice. He swung part of his hair over his shoulder, and began to work the comb through, starting at the bottom, and detangling it with his fingers.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

Thirty minutes later, he glared at himself in the mirror, holding half of his mane in one hand. It was still snarled and tangled, and each swipe of the comb made him grimace and bite his lip. It hurt, and he didn't like it. He'd have to remember to buy the kind of shampoo that he used to use.

His glance softened as it fell to his hair, and he sighed deeply. He turned on the water in the sink, and then leaned over it, piling his hair in the porcelain bowl. It might be a little easier to comb when wet, he figured. He dampened the locks, leaning his head closer to the faucet so that he could wet the roots. It wouldn't do to have half of his hair wet, and the other half dry. 

The comb again, this time pulled through, heedless of the pain. He compressed his lips, stilling the sounds that begged to escape his lips as he continued to torture his scalp. In five minutes, no more, and he finished. With a mechanical move, he parted the tresses into three strands, and then braided them together, snapped the hair-tie into place, and nodded at himself in the mirror. It would do. He wasn't out to impress the world; he was out to make it better, and to stand up for what he believed in. He owed that to Duet, at least, to himself, for the part that had died.

"One pure thought, and I have a chance, from above no less, to prove to myself that I was right. If this is my reward for purity and humility, then I've already been proven right. If God wants one of his chosen to do this, then it can not be but right [1]."

A knock. "Mr. Maxwell?" He opened the door and smiled at the harassed nurse.

He winced as he recognized that look of fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry, miss." He bowed slightly to her, inclining his head. "I haven't been a very good patient, and I know that I've made your job uncommonly hard. My apologies."

She gaped at him as he moved past. "I-It's okay, Mr. Maxwell. I understand that this has been a trying ordeal. It's not every day that someone gets sideswiped by a semi while sitting at a stop sign!" He nodded as she gushed. That would explain why he was in the hospital. And at least some bizarre twist of fate hadn't left him as the drunk driver that had killed himself.

"Please, use my first name." He smiled, waiting while she blushed and stammered some more. He just wanted to know. He could probably look at his charts and find out, but this way was more fun.

"Okay, D-Duo." She shivered slightly. She was young, she couldn't be more than twenty-two, twenty-three. 'Duo' smiled charmingly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He could only hope that he hadn't acted this way in his original life. "I have to go." Her eyes said that she didn't want to, and he stifled his grin behind a gentle smile.

"Have a good day. Tell the doctor that I'll be right out." She smiled again and left. Violet eyes watched the door for a moment before the man brought his hand to his mouth to keep from laughing outright. "Oh goodness. How do some people get through school?" He remembered that look. It was the same one that Relena and Dorothy got each time they happened by some good-looking guy. 

He looked around his room, trying to decide what to do with the rest of his time. He looked down at his body, encased as it was in black, and giggled. Realizing that men shouldn't giggle, he tried a chuckle, and then giggled when it came out as half-maniacal. _This should be a fun day._

Next, he set about trying to walk, consciously stopping the previously natural sway to his hips. It was a walk that Duet had perfected by age twelve, but he'd be damned if he sashayed around town wearing all black and clodhopper boots. _Although it could be fun._ By the time the doctor came to lead him to the nurse's station, he was satisfied with the way he moved, and his decision to be manly.

That lasted until the doctor came into the room. "Mr. Maxwell?" He smiled, encouraging the man to continue. Not bad looking, for an older man. He had to be in his thirties, and his hair was graying at the temples, giving him a distinguished look.

"Hello, Doctor." He eyed him warmly, trying to make up for his hostility earlier. "I just need to reclaim my belongings and sign out."

"Good. This way, please." He followed the man, glancing occasionally at the bottom of the white coat and wishing that it wasn't that long. He had to smile, to himself at least, at his thoughts. Until he realized that other parts of his body had noticed. He gritted his teeth as his eyes widened. It had started as a twinge he shoved aside as discomfort, but he was quick to realize that his body was in link with his mind, and he was becoming aroused [2].

"Here's your wallet, Duo." The nurse smiled at him flirtatiously when they approached, and he grinned back. He accepted it gratefully, curling his fingers around hers before she could pull back. He bowed low over her hand, enjoying the widening surprise in her eyes as he kissed the smooth skin on the back. "I have to go. Good day."

She walked away quickly, holding her hand to her chest as she fought down her giggles. Duo looked up, meeting the doctor's amused gaze. They both chuckled together. "That's Marie. She's interning right now, trying to finish up her degree. Sweet kid, but her boyfriend is somewhat stand-offish."

Duo took the hint and nodded. "She seems younger than what she is, doesn't she?" He shrugged, turning to open his wallet. He didn't know if everything was in place, but if the large wad of bills was anything to go by, he had everything. He snapped it shut, keeping his grin to hide his astonishment. "Thank you, doctor. You've been wonderful. I'm sorry I was so much trouble."

"No trouble, Mr. Maxwell. I'm just glad that you don't seem to be suffering any after effects of your ordeal. Here's the number of a psychologist that works with the effects of being in accidents and things. Give him a call if you have any problems."

"Thank you. And please, if we happen to meet again, I hope that you'll call me Duo." They smiled at each other, and Duo watched as the doctor walked away. If the band on his left hand was anything to go by, Duo wasn't going to be seeing the doctor on any personal level, and he could only hope that it wasn't professional.

He opened the wallet again, searching for his driver's license. He found it in the first flap of the picture holder, and a face that was becoming increasingly familiar grinned up at him. Duo Maxwell. Born April first, 1981. April Fool's Day, mum and dad. Guess what surprise we have this year. That would make him, what? Twenty-one years old? Twenty, with an impending birthday. He flipped it over to look at the change of address sticker. He tried to remember where that street was. He'd grown up in this town, after all. He should be able to find his way around.

He shrugged his shoulders, moving onto other information. No restrictions, brown hair, hazel eyes. "I wonder if they have an option for violet." He smiled at the picture for several minutes, and then blinked back to reality as several harried nurses and orderlies ran past with a bed. "Looks like an emergency." He moved out of the way, following exit signs as he put the wallet in his back pocket.

The air outside was warm, and he paused for a moment, letting the wind blow against his face and body, barely moving the heavy braid that hung damply behind him. Violet eyes looked up at the sky, watching the clouds slowly rolling by. He ignored the passersby, choosing instead to concentrate on another day of living.

"Duo Maxwell?" He gritted is teeth. _So much for enjoying the day._ He turned around, forcing a grin to cover for his agitation. _Wow_.

He swallowed. "Can I help you?" _Or jump you, whichever._ The man before him was beautiful. Creamy looking skin, black hair pulled back into a severe ponytail, dark slanted eyes. _Black eyes._ _What's the word? Onyx?_ Average height, shorter than Duo, but not by much. Older, more mature, but couldn't be past his late twenties. Lean build accentuated by the white dress pants, white blazer, and black undershirt.

"Detective Chang." He flashed a badge, his voice firm and accented, pausing a moment to let Duo read the basic information. _Hello, Wufei Chang._ "I want to ask you a few questions about the accident."

Duo immediately thought about the night before; watching the boy walk away, stepping into the street, seeing the car at the last second out of the corner of his eye. Pain, darkness, and then that dream-like conversation with Death. "The details area a little fuzzy." He doubted that the man talking to Duo Maxwell really cared about what happened to Duet. "My vehicle was side-swiped by a semi truck, while sitting at a stop sign."

It wasn't an out and out lie, but the fact that he was omitting part of the truth niggled at the back of his mind. He pushed it down. The dark eyes staring at him didn't even bother to blink. "It's possible that your accident was linked to another one last night, and any details that you can remember would be helpful."

He started to walk away, dismissing the brunette without so much as a curt 'good-bye'. Duo thought about it, weighing the odds that more than two accidents had occurred last night. He couldn't guarantee that there was a link, but he could hope. "Wait, Detective. I think I vaguely remember seeing a blue car weaving down the road. I saw it in peripheral, but it was a dark blue, four-door."

"Thank you, Mr. Maxwell." The other nodded at him, before pulling a business card out of his pocket. "The top number goes to the precinct. The bottom is my cell-phone. Call me if you remember anything else." He stepped back. "Good day, Mr. Maxwell."

Duo let him walk away, taking in the information on the card. He looked up quickly. "Wait!" He jogged to catch up grinning offhandedly. "Do you happen to know where I can find my car?"

The detective paused for a moment, before nodding. "It's probably at the impound lot. Do you have someone that can drive you?" Duo shook his head, eyeing the beauty in front of him hopefully. If the man noticed his leering and drooling, he gave no indication. "Hop in. I'll give you a lift."

"Thanks!"

[1] This, unfortunately, will become clearer LATER, not NOW. Sorry.

[2] Okay. Definitely, probably OOC. Although, I can imagine Duo staring at anything with a nice ass. He may seem fickle and hormone-ridden, but only the latter half is true. Keep in mind that he's new to this body, and he's just getting a chance to live again. (Yeah, it's only been a day. So what.) He won't be flickering from one crush to the next, but he is going to be openly AFFECTIONATE with quite a few people. That means, hugs, embraces, and chaste kisses.

Also, side note: I haven't yet decided what pairing I want with him, but I'm definitely going to push for a 3+4 later. However, all decisions made now are subject to change at my whim, so please don't lean too heavily on what I have early on. It's not set in stone until it's uploaded, and I've rewritten entire chapters in the five minutes before I've sent it to FF.net.

Endnote: I happened to tell a lie a little bit in the first chapter, at the endnote where I said that the boy (mugger) wasn't important. He's been running around my head all day, begging to be added back in. He's going to be joining the rest of the G-cast. And, yes, all the gundam boys will be in this, and so will some of the girls.

General warning: chapters will be short, but I should be able to get them out in pairs and groups.


	4. Soul

Five minutes of silence, and Duo had stored enough energy to run a marathon, win at the Olympics, swim the oceans, and dance the Macarena until dawn. So, it was with little surprise that he began tapping the dashboard, his long fingers… _Look at my hands…_making a rapid staccato on the plastic. 

Six minutes into the ride, the detective reached out and placed his hand on the armrest. "If you have to tap on something, tap on this." His voice was sharp, short, and sent tremors up Duo's spine. _I will not crush on this guy, I will not crush on this guy…_He sang the litany in his head, tapping the armrest with a muffled noise. 

Eight minutes into the ride, and his hands were folded serenely in his lap, violet eyes staring out the window. They were passing through a posh neighborhood, and Duo knew what was coming ahead. They slowed as they reached a group of congested cars, and he leaned against the window, watching as somber men lead crying ladies up the front walk to the door of a large house.

He leaned his forehead against the glass, closing his eyes tight. He had seen his mother in the doorway, eyes red-rimmed as she greeted her kin. The finality of it all sank in, and he had to swallow to relieve the constriction in his throat.

"Duet Carswell. Killed last night in a hit and run. Forensics say that by the tire marks, the car was all over the road, possibly a drunk driver." Duo nodded in understanding.

"Her family must be devastated." His voice sounded close to what it had before, and he could only assume that it sounded normal. "They loved her very much, didn't they?" They were long past the group of mourners, but he could still see his mother and family, and his best friends as they approached his house.

"She was a popular girl, well-loved in the community. Not many people had a bad thing to say about her. Good kid, really." Chang's voice was impersonal, as if reciting a list of attributes of a stranger. This one was not a fan, obviously. "Her family is taking it rather bad, as to be expected. She was an only child, and her parents doted on her. Every material thing she could ever want, a devoted following of admirers, and a group of close friends." 

_Friends that I have no way of making again._ He leaned back against the seat, closing his eyes as he fought for control. _Men do not cry. I am a man now. I will not cry. I am not dead; I have not lost anything yet. I can build my life again_. _I can build again._ He had to believe that.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

They reached the police station in twenty minutes, by which time Duo had regained most of his composure. Duet had always been a sensible creature, and that facet of her personality filled him now. He was still Duet, at heart. In mind, he had always been more than what she would let others see, but he could and would bring that out. In body…well, that was something completely new, and would take some time.

"Thank you for the lift, Detective Chang." He smiled over the hood, his earlier fascination and attraction smothered beneath the oppressive thoughts that had plagued him during the trip. The officer simply nodded in his direction, acknowledging him briefly before turning around and entering the station. Duo tagged his heels, mouth open to ask for directions. 

"Down the hall, to the left, counter on the right." The man moved out of sight, and Duo rolled his eyes. _Not a very affable fellow, by any means_. He went in the direction indicated, moving down the hall, perfecting his gait so that it wasn't too girlish. The counter was easy to find, the word 'IMPOUND' in bold letters above the little opening.

"Name?" He smiled at the woman on the other side of the counter. Dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin, and a name badge that read 'Chang'. _Any relation?_

"Duo Maxwell. I was in an accident last night." He smiled charming, but she simply turned back to her work. She handed him a piece of paper with the registration number of his car, the license plate number, and the lot number. "Thank you."

She looked up, smiling slightly. "I hope you're feeling better. I imagine that it's been a rough day."

"Not too bad." His grin widened. "Are you related to Detective Woofee Chang [1]?" She eyed him for a moment, and then broke into a deep laugh. He could feel a blush coming on as she went limp in her seat.

"Oh, gods. I wish he was around to hear that." Her smile became calmer. "It's Wufei, Mr. Maxwell."

"Duo." 

"Okay. His name is Wufei, Duo, and I would be careful about how you say his name when he's around. And, no, we're not related."

"She's my wife." Duo jumped, startled by the dry voice to his left. The woman raised an eyebrow. "Ex-wife." The detective spoke in a guarded way, as if judging each word before it came out of his mouth. "Meiran, I need the file on the 617 from yesterday [2]. Send it down to Jacobs, and he'll work on it."

"Of course. Woofee." The woman smiled at both men innocently, and Duo had to fight with a snicker. Wufei raised one dark eyebrow, and then turned on his heel and walked away. "He doesn't like to be picked on, but some days, I just can't help myself."

"Is he always so…controlled?" He struggled to find a quasi-nice word. Meiran shrugged.

"Yeah. He's been that way since birth. His parents were rather strict, and he was taught early on not to show his emotions lest they be used against him." _You, on the other hand, are a chatterbox. I think I'd rather spend time with you._

"That doesn't sound strict, it sounds harmful." Violet eyes met dark brown, and she smiled up at him through the screen.

"It's in the past." She reached into a drawer beneath the counter, and slipped the keys across to him. "Here are the keys."

He took them, looking at her for a moment. Here was a smart woman, assured, friendly, someone he would like to get to know. "What do you do for a social life?" She simply looked at him, eyes weary. "I'm new around here, and you remind me a lot of home." _It could be true, in an expansive way._ "Bring a group, or bring Woofee." _Definitely the second_. "Hell, bring half of the police squad if it makes you comfortable, but right now, my friends are few and far between."

"It sounds interesting. How about lunch? Tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. There's a café on the corner of Fifth and Highland. I'll meet you there at…one?"

"It's a date." She smiled, slipping her hand across the counter to shake his. "The lot's in back. Go back the way you came, take the main corridor to the first right, and follow it until you find a door that says 'impound'."

"Thank you, Ms. Chang." He kissed her hand for good measure, missing the glowering look directed at him from the other end of the hall.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"You can have the car, Mister, but you have to sign it out at the front desk, first. I'll have an officer bring it around to the front for you. [See 1 and 3]." Duo smiled at the man, letting the urge to get frustrated flow away. The poor guy was only doing his job, after all. 

"Thank you, officer." He went back the way he had come in. He remembered the way easily, jamming his hands into his pocket as he glared at the tiles. For some odd reason, he was tired suddenly. _Everything's finally caught up with me._ He wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Added to that, he wanted to be wrapped in the arms of someone who loved him. _Gods, Quatre. I wish you could be here._

"Excuse me." He smiled at a random officer as he stepped out of the way. The front desk was as easy to find as everything else had been, and he made his way to stand in line [3]. Ahead of him were several officers, each holding the arm of a handcuffed man or woman. Two women, easily noticed because of their lack of dress, were prattling on about the freedom of expression, and their rights to do with their bodies as they pleased. The man behind them was red in the face; his head hung low in shame [4].

The door banging open behind him alerted his attention, and he turned around, interested in the persons coming in. An officer, wearing the normal blue uniform, was dragging in some ruffian, pulling roughly on his arm, although the boy seemed disinclined to run. His back was ramrod straight, his shoulders set proudly. If not for the dirty clothes and haggard appearance, he could have been blue-blooded. "Hey, Charlie!" The officer called to the guy behind the counter. "Look what I found!"

Duo frowned, noticing the attention that man and boy were receiving. He glanced at the boy, surprised to find his blue gaze fixed on him with something that could only be surprise and fear. It was quickly replaced by confusion when the boy glanced him over. Duo smiled slightly, his eyes soft. It was the boy from the previous evening. He turned a glare on the man, taking in the white-knuckled grip on the boy, and the dark anger in the officer's eyes.

"He was trying to break into that damn SUV I just parked out front. No sooner had I started up the steps, and he was trying to pick the lock." He shoved the boy forward, causing him to struggle to remain balanced. The boy didn't protest, or utter a word. He simply stood tall, brown hair mussed, clothes in disarray, with a pride that would humble kings. With a quick glance, Duo looked at the sheet of paper in his hands.

"Would that happen to be a truck with the license plate DTJ125 [5]?" The officer hesitated for a moment, letting go of the boy long enough to fish a note pad out of his pocket. He looked up and nodded. "Then you might wish to take the handcuffs off, because it's mine, and he has every right to be in it." He smiled at the boy, but his attention was quickly diverted as Wufei Chang walked out of a hallway, talking to Meiran.

"Really?" The officer glared at him, silently threatening retribution if Duo interfered with him and the boy. Duo hadn't a doubt that the younger would come out in worse shape than when he went in if left to this man. "What connection do you have with this street rat?"

"He's a street rat, too." Blue eyes stared into violet, and the boy smiled. "Duo Maxwell, millionaire. Major contributor to the Child's Playground shelter. More than three hundred nation wide, and thirty others across the world." Duo raised an eyebrow, and then looked at the officer with a smirk, enjoying the growing realization on his face. 

"Now, if you could let him go, I'd like to reclaim my vehicle, and take him back where he belongs."

"You brought him here to take him with you?" The officer wasn't giving in so easy. Meiran stepped forward, smiling gently at both men. 

"Jacobs, take the handcuffs off, and let the boy go. If it's Mr. Maxwell's car, then it's he who should be pressing charges, and if he says that the boy has every right to be getting into the vehicle, then no crime has been committed." She raised a hand when he would have protested, and he did as ordered, glaring all the while at the boy and the man who had dared oppose him. "Duo, if it's okay with you, I'll file the paperwork, and you and your young friend can go."

He grinned. "Thank you, Officer Chang. He grinned at the blank-faced detective behind her. "Goodbye, detective." He gave her the piece of paper, and walked out, knowing without looking that the boy was following.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"How did you know all of that?" Duo drove carefully through the streets, watching for pedestrians, and braking often. He was nervous behind the wheel: he didn't want to do to someone what had been done to him, and he'd never really driven before. Growing up the sheltered daughter of aristocrats would do that, especially after having been chauffeured for eighteen years. 

"I didn't." He glanced at the boy, eyes wide. The blue eyes that met his were calm, and slightly smug. "It worked."

"Yeah, it did." Duo grinned suddenly. "I'm glad that you had the balls to do it, because I can't lie."

"Hn." The boy turned to look out the window. "You recognized me. How?"

"Tell me your name first, and then I'll tell you anything you want to know. And tell me how you knew my name."

"Heero Yuy. I heard your name when you introduced yourself to Lieutenant Chang." He glanced at the man beside him with disapproval. "Do you always flirt like that?"

"Sometimes. It's easier with some, and harder with others." Duo smiled at his companion, turning down a busy street in the business district. "I met you last night, but you had a different accent."

"If it's dark, I try to disguise my voice, in the light of day, it's hard to match the voice to a Japanese thug. Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to my home. I think. You can clean up and we'll find you some clean clothes. Put some food in your belly, watch a little telly." Duo grinned at his own ingenuity, missing the wince from his companion. His comments weren't so easy to dismiss.

"Are you always this annoyingly perky and nice? Because I may have to kill you if you are." His face was expressionless, but Duo caught the teasing glint in his eyes [6].

"But why?" Duo whined, his voice nasally.

"Omae o Karuso [7]."

"What does that mean?"

"Roughly: I'm going to kill you."

"Are you always this friendly, or is it just me?"

"Hn."

"Glad to know that I bring out such a lovely side to your personality."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

They looked up at the building together, craning their necks. "Are you sure that it said apartment twelve?"

"Yes. I have an excellent memory." They looked at the mailboxes. "I hope that you're not afraid of heights."

"Hn." Duo smiled, ignoring the death glare that Heero kept sending him. He'd been threatened three times on the way to his apartment. Once for being perky, once for singing along with the radio, and another time for telling the brunette that he was cute. The last had been the most dangerous, since the blue-eyed kid crushed himself against the door and glared at him, as if gauging the chances of survival if he killed him then and there. He hadn't meant anything by it; it had just slipped out. One of the forward things that Duet would have said, except coming from the mouth of a young man, it evidently wasn't as sweet.

"Get over it! Gods, some people!" He stalked up to the front door, playing with his keys. _One of these damn things has to work!_ He started inserting them, turning them this way and that. "Watch, it'll be the last key that I try." No response from his companion, so he continued working his way through the three dozen keys on the loop. _Why would someone have this many keys?_ _And why would that someone have to be me!_ "Hey, it's unlocked."

He turned around, grinning proudly as he held up the miracle key. The sidewalk was empty. 

"Heero?" _I didn't mean to scare him away._ He frowned, suddenly feeling depressed that the closest thing he had to a friend had run away. 

~~~~~_____~~~~~

A studio apartment on the twelfth floor. _I can definitely live like this._ Duo grinned, standing in the middle of a giant living room. He'd already been through the apartment once. Two bedrooms, one bath, a kitchen and eating area in one, and a large open space that he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what it was for. "Dance floor? For a twenty year old?"  He rolled his eyes at himself. "Looks like one of those dojo's, or whatever they're called, where people beat the crap out of each other."

He tilted his head, his eyes turning suddenly thoughtful. He moved to the windows quickly, dismissing the floor behind him as he closed the blinds. This high up, he doubted anyone could see in, but that didn't mean that it was impossible. Violet eyes flashed around his new home, taking it in and filing all the pieces away for later. With a grin, he jogged to the thin wall that separated the main bedroom from the rest of the apartment, and turned off the main light. He headed for the bedroom.

"Time for a little personal investigation." 

~~~~~_____~~~~~

Downstairs, a mother looked up at the ceiling over the dinner table, a spoon halfway to her toddler's mouth. She looked across at her husband. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" He paused between shoveling bites into his mouth.

"It sounded like some kind of demented laughter, and then something heavy being through on a set of box springs." She frowned back up. "It was probably nothing, but if that new neighbor gives us any trouble, we're calling the cops."

"Honey, you're being paranoid." A loud shout from over head interrupted their conversation, followed by breathless laughter. "I'll go by that extra dead bolt tomorrow."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

[1] I couldn't resist! How can anyone, who sucks at names and hasn't seen the show, be expected to know how to pronounce this?

[2] I'm not in law-enforcement, and I don't get a lot of things, but I do know that they use numbers to identify crimes. No, the 617 isn't either accident, it just gives him a reason to be thereJ I don't know what it stands for.

[3] Do I even have to add that I know nothing of police procedure? 

[4] Any guesses? No, it's not an important character, it happened to be the first thing I could think of. He couldn't just up and leave that easily.

[5] DTJ125: Anybody want to guess what this stands for? For the person that gets the connection, I pity you. Either you're quick-witted, or you spent too much time trying to figure it out.

[6] OOC, anyone? He's hardened by life on the street, but he's definitely not the Perfect Soldier. Think of it as the 'what could have happened if Heero never fought again after the war. Instead, he softens, and becomes more human, but without ever losing that initial hardness.' He's cynical, skeptical, but with a kind of sarcastic humor that's very dry. No laughing, not a lot of smiling, but he IS human.

[7] Spelling?

Endnote: Can someone please do me a favor? I have missed dang near half of the season episodes. The one's I did manage to see were just bits and pieces. So, I was wondering if anyone could tell me: WHAT THE HELL DOES DOROTHY LOOK LIKE? I'd really prefer to have someone who likes her character tell me, because otherwise, it may be biased J.


	5. Breathe

"I am so beautiful…" He tilted his face up and gargled water. "To~o me!" Turned around so that the water splashed on his back. "I am so beautiful…" Reached for the soap. "To~o me! [1]." He paused and tilted his head, trying to identify the sound that had wafted through the walls to his ears. He turned off the water, stepping out of the spray onto the thick rug that lined the shower stall. He grabbed a towel from the rack, and wrapped it around himself, covering his body from chest to upper thigh. "Coming!"

He paused, catching his reflection in the mirror. With an eye roll, and a smirk, he lowered the towel so that it rode low over his hips, leaving his chest bare. The person at the door knocked again. 

"Damn impatient people!" He mumbled, stumbling through the flat as he made his way to the door. If Duo had been thinking, he probably would have grabbed his robe, but in his irritated state, he may have decided that the other person's modesty be damned. He certainly had nothing to be ashamed of. He swung the door open, and grinned. "What?"

Blue eyes blinked at him, and then glanced down his mostly nude body. "Is this how you always answer the door?"

He grinned. "Actually, I usually let the butler get it. However, he's currently for a family to which I don't belong. Come on in." Heero strode into the room, walking past him stiffly as if expecting to be groped at any moment. Duo smiled at his discomfort. "What can I do you for?" 

"Hn."

"Right." He drew the word out to express his displeasure in that response, but he didn't push it. "Make yourself at home. You probably have as good of a guess as I do where anything is, so have fun." He walked back to the bathroom, slipping on the wet floor twice. "And watch where you walk." The boy grunted at him again in response.

He dried off quickly, toweling his hair. He grabbed the comb, two clean towels, and his hair-tie, and walked out. The floor was dry, and he looked around expectantly, but couldn't see the boy who had cleaned up his mess. Then the smell of cooking food wafted by him, and he grinned. While none of the other rooms were sectioned off, the kitchen was in the alcove created by the bathroom and exterior walls.

"Smells good." Blue eyes peered at him wordlessly for a moment, and the boy resumed cooking. He was frying eggs and sausage, and there was bread waiting to be put into the toaster. "It's nice that you cook, because I can't. I'm a disaster in the kitchen." He paused, frowning slightly. "Not that I was ever really given a chance. We always had a cook."

"You were spoiled?" It was meant as an insult, and he could tell that the boy was trying to heckle him.

"Yes." He admitted truthfully. "And I would still be today if it weren't for you." He smiled at the boy, enjoying the confused look in his eyes. His face was blank; something that he could guess had taken many years to perfect. "Of course, dying can change a person's perspective."

"I read the paper yesterday. You were in an accident, and knocked unconscious, but you weren't dead." His voice was flat.

"Heero, would you believe me if I told you that I never lied?" The boy shrugged. "I never lie, and that's my promise. I will evade a question, and ignore it, or go off on a tangent that is entirely unrelated, but I will not fabricate an answer, not to appease anyone." 

"I believe you." The boy admitted, looking at him for a moment before reaching into a cupboard for plates.

"Good, because what I want to tell you is something that I don't think I would believe, if I hadn't gone through it in the last two days." Duo sighed, leaning against the counter as he watched Heero serve breakfast. "Thank you." The boy leaned against the far counter, keeping a wary eye on him. "I died the night before last, I was hit by a drunk driver who didn't have his headlights on. Shortly before I was killed, a young boy with a funny accent held me up. I gave him a fur coat and all of my belongings, and sent him on his way."

He waited for that information to sink in. "She was female."

"Duet Carswell. Five feet, four inches tall, and weighing one hundred and forty pounds. A sweet, chubby little thing with long brown hair and purple eyes." Violet eyes met blue, and he could read the understanding, fear, and confusion that it was causing. "My last thought before death was pure and selfless. I died thinking of the boy, and wishing that the world could love all of its children. The last feeling in my heart was wishing that you would be loved. By anyone."

"Hn." He chewed his food mechanically, keeping a weary eye on Duo as he continued.

"I died, and I went to this place, and this…person, called Shinigami, told me that I had a choice. I could prove that I was right, and that certain things didn't matter, or I could go on, and have an eternity of bliss and happiness."

"Why would you come back?"

"Because I hadn't found the one thing in life that makes it all worth while. I loved my family, and I adored my friends, but I had never found my soul mate. And I don't want to spend the rest of forever in a heavenly party, being a wallflower because my mate is down here, looking for me. I think that eternity would be very lonely without love, without that kind of love, and I don't want to take the chance of missing out."

"Hn." He put his empty plate down. "Fanciful, romantic, and highly impossible."

Duo sagged against the counter as the boy walked by. "You don't believe me."

"Sadly enough, I do." He looked up sharply. "I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"You were a girl, and you liked guys, and you are still the same person you were the day before yesterday."

"Correct."

"Does that mean that now, in that body, that you are gay?"

"Yup. That's the long and short of it. This is the form that I will have for the rest of eternity. If I die now, I'll take this one into the afterlife. In the life before this, I made the challenge that gender didn't matter, as long as two people were in love. And I mean it. Love is love, and the only thing that matters is that you do love. Everything else, all the little details, are unimportant. The world can suck an egg for all that it will influence what I think and feel."

"Could you fall in love with a girl?"

"Probably. If I'm destined to love a girl, I will. Although, I think that my reactions are much more prominent now, and I still react very strongly to the male of the species." The boy nodded.

"Eat." Duo smiled slightly, obeying as Heero walked around the apartment, taking in the unpacked boxes on the far wall, and the opened door to the bedroom. "Do you know how to do anything for a living?"

"Not really. I haven't had a chance yet to look through all of the stuff in here. There's probably a job in the city that I'm missing right now, but I can try to find another one later. I don't even know if Duo Maxwell graduated from high school."

"Do you have a computer?" 

"Bedroom."

"I'll look later, and see if I can't find anything on-line." He turned back to face the young man. "Are you attracted to me?"

Duo choked on his food, washing it down with a drink of water. He eyed the boy for a moment, trying to decide on the best answer. "Yes. But you're safe with me. I won't try anything with you, Heero. You have my word."

The boy nodded. "Come here and sit down, and I'll comb out your hair."

"Thank you!" He moved quickly, flopping down on the couch and curling his legs beneath him. He spread the blankets out, one on his back, the other over the couch. "I don't want to ruin my furniture. Can you braid, too?"

"Hn."

"Thank you, Heero."

~~~~~_____~~~~~~

"You're hopping." Duo stopped, and looked at Japanese boy. "Try walking with less energy, and less swoosh." They had spent the morning going through all of the things that Duo did in an effeminate way, and were in the process at this point of trying to teach him how to walk.

"You make that sound like a bad thing."

"If you were a boy, a child, it would be fine. However, for a grown man, it looks ridiculous. I doubt that even Duet would have been proud of hopping around like a bunny." He blew a frustrated breath, making his bangs lift over his eyebrows for a moment. Heero simply waited for him to listen. He took a deep breath, and walked forward, resisting every urge he had to swish his hips. "Perfect." Heero nodded. "Now make four laps around the apartment, and I'll watch you. Get a feel for how that feels." Duo nodded, and obeyed the order. 

"How old are you?" He concentrated on his steps, being careful to control the swing of his hips.

"I'm seventeen. Stop sashaying!" Duo made an effort to correct his steps once again.

"Do you have parents?"

"Concentrate on what you're doing, and not on holding a conversation with me." His voice was cold, unfriendly. Obviously, he wanted the subject to be closed. "That's better."

"Talk to me, Heero."

"Hn." Duo stopped and looked at him. He sighed and spread his hands wide.

"I just want to be your friend, Heero. You're the only one that I have right now, and I don't want to push you away. I want to know you better. I need that. I knew everything before. There were few secrets between me and my friends."

"My life is different than yours. You do not want the details." His voice was final. Duo sighed.

"Fine." He turned around and stalked toward the kitchen, intent on making breakfast.

"That's perfect." Duo simply rolled his eyes. He'd finally gotten the walk down.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"Hey, look at this!" Duo held up a picture frame, and pointed to the document inside. "I guess that I did graduate." He grinned. "Second in my class, too. Duet was a good student, but she was only, like, eighth. Not bad." 

"Why do you refer to that part of yourself in the third person?" Heero was sitting a few feet away, going through another box.

Duo shrugged. "I'm not her anymore, and that's something that I can't help. This is my chance at another life, something a little more true to the things that I've always preached. Duet was a hypocrite, and I don't want Duo to be that way."

"So you distance the way you were and the way you want to be?"

"Right." He lifted up another picture frame, and his eyes widened at the newspaper clipping that was inside. "I think I figured out what I do for a living." He held it out to Heero.

"Winner of the state lottery? Thirty-three million dollars?" He looked up. "What does that make? Seven million after everything's said and done?"

"Something like that. Cool. Let's see. I can live off of a million for the rest of my life, so that makes six million to charity. You want some?"

Heero shook his head, handing the frame back. "I wouldn't know what to do with that much money."

"Like I do know?" He shrugged again, this time to relieve some of the tenseness in his shoulders. "What do you say to going out for dinner? That way you don't have to cook, or suffer with my cooking."

"Hn."

"Oh, no!" Duo scrambled to his feet quickly, throwing his shoes on, and grabbing his coat before Heero could blink twice at him. "I have a lunch date. Let's go!"

~~~~~____~~~~~

"I'm so sorry, Officer Chang!" Duo slid into the booth, his best charming grin and pleading eyes. "We were unpacking boxes, and I didn't even realize what time it was."

Meiran smiled at him. "It's fine, Duo. And please, call me Meiran. Both of you." The smile included Heero, who was standing awkwardly by the braided man. Duo slid further into the seat, turning his grin to Meiran's companion as the boy took the spot next to him. "Duo, meet Hilde."

His grin widened, and he looked at Heero for a moment. The boy nodded, understanding his excitement without having to say anything. This was a friend of Duet's. "Glad to meet you. Hilde, Meiran, I would like to introduce you to Yuy Heero."

"Baka." Heero muttered under his breath, Duo's charm a loss on him.

"I'm not an idiot, so be nice." Heero sat down beside him, raising an eyebrow in response. Duo turned his grin to the ladies, eyes lighting up when they rested on the younger woman, a brunette with brown eyes. "So, how are you ladies today?"

"We're fine." Hilde blushed under his scrutiny, and he had to force himself to look away before he forgot who he was. Meiran simply smiled, turning her attention to her menu. Duo took her signal, and picked up his own menu, looking through the items quickly before settling on what he wanted. He licked his lips in anticipation as he waited for the others to decide. Heero gave him a look, and he grinned.

The waitress came to take their order. Hilde ordered a salad, Meiran a sandwich, and Heero ordered a small steak with potato side dish. Duo grinned. "One fourteen ounce porterhouse, a baked potato with sour cream and butter, coleslaw, and a root beer float [2]."

Meiran smiled at his enthusiasm, while Hilde and Heero looked at him oddly, trying to discern why he was so excited over a simple meal. He grinned at them all, shrugging his shoulders as if to say that he was always that way. The waitress left with a smile, and a flirtatious wink at Duo. Heero rolled his eyes, but both ladies missed the exchange.

"So, Hilde, what do you do for a living?" He resisted the urge to smirk, already knowing the answer, but wanting to appear as unknowledgeable about her as possible. It would be a bit hard to explain how he knew all of her little secrets if he didn't know her before hand.

"I'm a maid-cum-housekeeper at the Winner mansion. Have you heard of the Winner Corporation?"

"Yeah, I'm familiar with the company. The man has a good dozen children, doesn't he?"

She smiled and nodded, relaxing by degrees as they spoke about impersonal topic. "Actually, the count is closer to twenty. They have nineteen. The oldest fifteen are girls, the sixteenth is now a young man, and the last three are in their adolescence."

"Gosh. That's a lot of kids." His fingers tapped the table of the surface, the lack of nails making the sound muted, but annoying none-the-less. "How old is the son?"

"He's eighteen right now, but his birthday is only two months away." She paused as the waitress came by with their drinks. "I don't suppose you've heard?" Her smiled dimmed, and she looked at him with sorrowful brown eyes. "His best friend died a couple nights ago."

Duo nodded, his own mood turning somber as the conversation turned to his death. Beside him, he could feel Heero frowning as he put the pieces together. Meiran placed a comforting hand on Hilde's shoulder, smiling gently at her. She looked back up to explain to Duo. "Duet Carswell. She was the hit and run that Wufei's working on right now. Her family is prominent, so it's important to the department to leave them with as few questions as possible." Duo nodded in understanding.

"Did she have a lot of friends?" Heero spoke quietly, his eyes curious. 

Meiran nodded, but it was Hilde who answered. "She didn't have very many enemies, but she only had a few really close friends. Quatre was one of them, and so was I." Her voice broke, and she turned to Meiran, who wrapped her arms around her comfortingly, holding her close as she sobbed out her grief.

"I'm sorry. I should have known to give her a little more time. She's been holding it in so well. I was hoping that lunch would help distract her for a time."

"Don't apologize. I can sympathize with losing someone close to you. If you wait here, I'll run and get her something to wipe her eyes." He made to slide out of the bench, but Heero didn't move. Instead, he held out a clean handkerchief.

"Please, use this." Duo raised an eyebrow as Meiran took it and pressed it into Hilde's hand. "I'm sorry for your loss."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

[1] Duo's version of "You are so beautiful (to me)". Everyone caught that, right?

[2] I'm thinking this: if an eighteen year old girl feels that she's overweight, she's probably going to try to change that. So, I'm thinking that Duet may have been part of the diet fads, eating grapefruit and nothing else, while downing fat burning pills and cursing the creation of chocolate.

End note: Here is where it gets difficult, people. For those of you who read this story, and didn't review, I'm telling you now, you don't play very nicely. For those wonderful people that did review, I have a slight announcement, and for those of you that WILL be reviewing after I finish this chapter, you may wish to know this, too. I have not decided yet, on a couple. I don't know if I want the traditional 1x2, or the more exotic 5x2, or even a sweet and fluffy 2x4. Hell, I'm even game to try a 2x3. However, I try, keyword here, to write for what the people tell me they want. Leave it in the review, and notice: I have 379 reviews as of 4:45, 02-04-02. The fifth hundred will have complete control over the coupling, unless I finish this before that time, in which case it will go by what the reviews tell me. I think it's 1 for a 1x2, and 2 votes for a 2x5. We'll see.

Anywho, the four hundredth review gets a ficlet all their own.


	6. Exhale

"Oh, good Mercutio. You were a friend to me [1]." Duo spoke dramatically, waving his arms for emphasis. 

"You said it wrong." Heero trailed along behind him, walking at a slower, and less distinguishable, gait.

"To be, or not to be, that is the question."

"Get thee to a nunnery [2]."

"Since the youth will not be entreated, his own peril on his forwardness []." Duo grinned. "Is 't possible that on so little acquaintance you should like her? That but seeing you should love her? And will you persever to enjoy her?"

"Neither call the giddiness of it in question, the poverty of her, the small acquaintance, my sudden wooing, nor her sudden consenting; but say with me, I love Aliena." [3]

"You, my friend, are just plain too good." Duo grinned. "Come on. We can probably get through the rest of the 

boxes before dinner time."

They had endured a silent and sad lunch, through which Hilde had sniffled, and Duo had cried out inside to comfort her. Only Heero's hand on his arm had kept him from trying to reveal too much, and Meiran had managed to keep things going fairly smoothly. They had left the women at Meiran's car and said goodbye.

Duo opened the door to the SUV. "What do you think we should have for dinner?"

"Whatever you like, I suppose." Heero kept walking, his feet carrying him away from Duo and the vehicle. Violet 

eyes widened. 

"Where are you going?" Blue eyes turned to stare through him, their depths well guarded. "I mean, I…I don't know what I mean. You're welcome to stay at the apartment with me."

"Hn." Heero turned and resumed his stride, leaving Duo to stare after him in confusion.

"Heero, wait." He jogged to catch up with him, squeezing between his front bumper and the fender of the car in front of him. "Listen, if you ever need a place to stay, my apartment is open. I'd give you a key if a I had a spare, but feel free to buzz me, no matter what time it is. You're always welcome." Blue eyes looked at him for a moment, evaluating his words and expression. "Stop by and see me anytime."

"Hn." He turned around and resumed his walk. "See ya around." He threw the words over his shoulder.

"Sure." Duo sighed and turned back to his car, pausing when his gaze fell on a figure down the street. He squinted, trying to ascertain if it was whom he thought it was. After a moment, he grinned. "Detective Chang."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

Wufei looked down at his watch and cursed silently to himself. He should have known better than to agree to a personal favor, but he owed Meiran a lot, and this was the only thing she would ask of him. "Hello, Detective." He groaned inwardly, turning with a glare to meet violet eyes.

"Mr. Maxwell." He turned back to the store front and crossed his arms, purposely dismissing the younger man. He didn't really need to have the loud-mouthed idiot hanging around. After his stunt from the day before, he wouldn't put anything past him. Taking the kid home had been dangerous, and he was actually rather surprised to see him still alive.

"Should I call you Detective Chang, or can I call you Wufei?" The black-haired man stiffened, turning black eyes back to the intrusive brunette. There had definitely been a flirting tone in his voice.

"Detective Chang will work." Duo smiled, chuckling quietly under his breath. "What are you doing here?"

"Me? I just got done having lunch with…" He trailed off uncomfortably, looking away for a moment. "With a few friends."

"Meiran?" Wufei asked dryly. He already knew that they had had lunch together. He'd followed behind Meiran to meet the boy that he was supposed to protect for the afternoon. "I do hope, Mr. Maxwell, that you're not attempting to lead her on."

Another laugh. "No, Detective. She's just very friendly. I'm pretty sure that she knows that I have no romantic interest in her."

"Why not?" Duo looked at him in surprise. "She deserves to be happy, Maxwell. Since I can not do it, I will help her find someone who does."

"Oh. She's very nice, very pretty, and all of that, but she's not my type." Duo answered the question simply, glad that the Chinese man had explained. He had sounded very brotherly, and he was glad to note that there had been a lack of jealousy in his voice. Even if he wasn't into guys, Duo wouldn't have to worry about seeing him with a woman. 

"Hn." He rolled his eyes at the response, but was quickly diverted when a blonde walked through the store entrance, carrying a small box. "Are you ready to go, Quatre?" Duo swallowed, his gaze riveted. Blue-green eyes met his, and the boy frowned, blonde brows furrowing in confused recognition.

The boy recovered first, turning to Wufei with a weak smile. "I'm ready. Thank you, Wufei." His his turned back to the stranger, a gentle smile tilting the corners of his mouth. "How are you?" He extended one small, pale hand. Duo stared at it, then offered his own, bringing the fragile limb to his mouth to kiss the skin on the back tenderly.

His gaze locked on Quatre's, he smiled. "Duo Maxwell at your service, Master Quatre." The blonde smiled, withdrawing his hand with a blush. Wufei took his arm and gaze Duo an odd look.

"Good day, Mr. Maxwell." He pulled the boy with him, scanning the distance between them and the car, leaving thoughts of Duo behind.

[1] I like Shakespeare, though the man had an odd sense of humor at times. The lines are taken from several different plays. The first is _supposed_ to be Romeo and Juliet, but the line is more of a reference to the play, not one taken from it. 

[2] Hamlet

[3] As You Like It.

End Note: I was given a really good idea in a review, and I thought I'd run it past all of you. Sivy suggested that I do a 'Chose your own Romance' type story, where I have four different endings to the plot. However, I don't really think that I could manage a 2x3 to go along with this plot, so the decision is up to you. Would you like to have 3 different endings, one 1x2/2x1, one 2x4/4x2, and one 2x5/5x2? I haven't even managed to include poor Trowa, so any pairing with him is out at this point, sorry 2x3 fans.

Tell me what you think. I'll need at least ten 'yes' reviews/emails to even think about doing something that's going to take up this much time.


	7. Wealth (non-pairing version (NPV))

The lights of the city seemed to sparkle, forming a halo in the sky above the buildings. Very beautiful, if one preferred the artificial lighting to that of the stars. Duo didn't. He would have liked to be outside, someplace looking up at the moon, enjoying the celestial view that man had been enjoying for years. He swallowed past a constricted throat, touching the windowpane with chilled fingers. For warm spring day, the night had turned cold, leaving him feeling the chill and misery of his own company. Behind him, the television and radio waged war, both turned up to block out the horrible oppression of silence.

He wanted to talk to someone. He ached for Quatre, the best friend that even now wars mourning Duet. He wanted to see Heero, to know what he was doing, to hear him insult him with his dry humor. He longed for his mother, to see her smile at him as he walked in the door, to hear his father calling from the garage for some help with the car. 

He wiped a tear away, and turned from the glass, sighing as he looked on the place he would now be calling home. It was a stranger's apartment, a place to rest his head, nothing more. It didn't seem to scream with life, and he couldn't shake the feeling of being in a mausoleum. A tribute to the dead.

"But I'm alive. And so very much so." He sank to the floor, ignoring the coolness of the wood-paneled wall. "I don't know what to do anymore, Lord. I'm lost. How do I regain my friends, if they won't believe who I am? And that's not the point, anyway. This is supposed to be a new life, how can I just leave them all behind?"

"Occasionally, you have to." Violet eyes looked up in shock. A pair of green orbs peered back at him, the face of the owner hidden behind a sky mask. A gun was pointed at his head, one long-fingered hand gripping the handle with ease, a slender finger gently resting on the trigger. "Now, Mr.…Maxwell." The intruder consulted a card in his hand. "I will ask you this once, and only once. Where is the money, and how soon will you bring it to me?"

Duo looked at the guy for a moment, licked his lips, and moved to stand up.

"Stay where you are, please." Duo ignored the warning, and the narrowing of the eyes. "I gave you an order."

"Listen, Bud. I've already died once this past week. If you'd like to make another try for it, go ahead. If not, would you like to sit down while I search through the rest of the boxes? I have as much of an idea where the money is as you do."

"Don't lie to me, Maxwell. Stalling will get you nothing but the wrath of my temper." That gave the braided man a pause before he smiled. 

"You know, I was just thinking that I could use some company."

"You're not going to cooperate, are you?" The voice was resigned.

"I have no plans to, no." The gun lowered, and the free hand reached up to remove the facial covering. One eye disappeared behind a fringe of hair as the intruder stood with a frown. "Does this mean you're going to kill me?"

"Possibly. No one who sees me lives." 

"Uh-huh. That's nice. Want something to drink?" He walked past his intruder with a confident air, a smile on his face. "I have…something, I'm sure. I haven't quite got around to looking in the fridge yet." The other man was silent. Duo turned to look at him, taking in the red-brown of his hair, and the slight aristocratic set to his features. He turned back around. "Let's see. Milk…um, no, I don't think you want that." 

He sat the container of chunky liquid aside and preceded to list the rest of the items he had to offer. 

"No alcohol, of course, since I'm only twenty." He waited patiently.

"Are you certain that you don't know where the money is?"

"Positive, and I never lie." He heard the gun cocked and closed his eyes. "I don't suppose that you're an honorable man who won't shoot another man in the back?"

"Possibly."

"Then if I don't turn around, you won't shoot me."

"Not to kill." Duo rolled his eyes and straightened up, turning to look his would-be-killer in the eye. "You have until six o'clock tomorrow evening to gather the money, Mr. Maxwell, or your life will be forfeit."

"Holdup! I have a question. Or two. Or more."

"I don't have the time, Mr. Maxwell."

"Wait! Why do you need the money? What I have planned for it is worth my life, and I may choose to die rather than give it to you. Give me one good reason why you should have it." He waited in silence for a moment, watching as the gunman weighed his options.

"If you choose to die, then you take two lives." His voice was an emotionless monotone, and Duo had the distinct feeling that he was struggling not to show whatever it was he was feeling.

"How much do you need?"

"The cost is four-hundred thousand dollars, and that's a beginning. The longer I wait, the price goes up."

"Six o'clock." Duo nodded, his agreement that he would have the money. The stranger nodded back, his face unsmiling. "Want a soda for the road?" He turned to reach into the depths of the fridge, pulling out a cold can of pop. When he turned back, the apartment was empty. "Well, hell."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"Come on! Some kind of divine guidance would be good right about now!" He threw the now empty box aside, reaching for the next one before he had time to draw in another breath. "Please? I know that I've been lagging in doing whatever it is I have to do, but isn't this a little ridiculous? Somebody's life hangs in the balance, and I can't even find one darn bankbook! What kind of idiot hides things where no one can find them?"

He grunted, and started hauling things out of the new box, looking for anything that would give him an indication of where to start looking for his money. He had been searching through the apartment since dawn, two hours before. In that time, he had unpacked all but three boxes, the likes of which he was going through now, as well as having searched the bedroom and rest of the apartment for a checkbook or a bankcard. Money could not be gotten rid of that easily without something to show for it, and he sure as hell hadn't spent it on his living quarters.

"Please, God? I don't want to be responsible for someone else dying! My life is fine and great, and I'm willing to give it up, but please don't make other people suffer because I'm to god-damn stupid to find a-" He stopped, his eyes resting on a little black book. "Please God-Almighty!" He picked it up, and flipped it open, a smile forming on his face and widening into a grin. "Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He took the little book and ran to find his wallet. All he needed now was to get to the bank and hassle the tellers.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"Yes, sir, we understand that, sir. However, it will take at least a couple of hours to process a request of that magnitude. It's not every day that someone comes in and wishes to withdraw such an amount."

"Listen, bud. If I don't get that money today, an unfortunate soul is going to be denied the funds to save a life. I need it, and I need it by six o'clock tonight!"

"I understand, Mr. Maxwell, but we really have no control over the process of withdrawing that type of money. If you had given us advance warning-"

"Like you get a warning that someone's about ready to die? Or have some horrible accident? As if it's all nicely planned out?" Duo knew he was freaking out, but he didn't care. He had been haggling with the damn bank manager for over thirty minutes, and still hadn't gotten anywhere. His signature had matched, the information he gave was correct, and still they refused to give him the money.

"Please calm down, Mr. Maxwell. We should be able to appropriate the funds by this evening, so there really isn't any worry."

"But what if you can't?" He slumped in defeat, leaning down to slam his head against the surface of the desk. Sweet-talk hadn't worked, neither had begging, pleading, ranting, raving, or cajoling. He was afraid to try threats for fear that they'd kick him out.

"Mr. Ingram, is there a problem with his account?" Duo stiffened at the sweet-sounding voice behind him. He looked up with a smile as Quatre dealt with the manager. "As you know, my father's account is always on okay for withdrawal. If you can't access Mr. Maxwell's account, please withdraw the funds from mine, and have his transferred to replace it."

"Of course, Mr. Winner." The man stood up and walked towards the tellers, his posture stiff.

"What a jerk." Quatre sat down in the vacant chair beside Duo. "They like to pull their weight around, but they don't like it when someone else strikes back."

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but you sounded so desperate. Someone shouldn't be denied the attention they need simply so some jerk can get off on his own power trip." The blonde smiled, pushing his hair back from his forehead in a nervous gesture. "I'm Quatre Raberba Winner."

"Duo Maxwell. We kind of met yesterday, before Woofee dragged you away." As expected, Quatre laughed at the nickname.

"Just don't let him hear you call him that." There was a slight pause. "May I ask what you need the money for?" He sounded curious, and Duo knew that he assumed someone was ailing or injured.

"Can you keep a secret?" The blonde nodded, leaning closer. Duo bent over so that he could whisper. "Some man broke into my apartment last night and held a gun at me. He said he needed the money, or two people would die. If it was just me, I would have taken the bullet, but I figured that it would be rather selfish of me to expect another person to die."

"Were you scared?" The blue-green eyes were wide with curiosity.

"Not really. He was rather good-looking." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. They both drew back sharply, looking at each other for a moment before they both broke out in laughter. "Sorry. It was the first thing I thought when he took the mask off! I didn't even have time to get scared while I was checking out his body."

"Terribly, wonderfully sexy?"

"Delicious! Tall and slim. And his hands!"

"Excuse me, gentlemen. The teller has your money, Mr. Maxwell, if you'd like to go to the third window. You did specify large bills, and we're having them put in a briefcase."

"Thank you." Duo stood up and shook the man's hand, ignoring the sweaty palm. Quatre stood with him. 

"Will you tell my father when he comes that I returned the box to the vault?"

"Of course, Mister Winner." 

They walked out of earshot. "Pompous ass."

"Pretentious oaf." They looked at each other and laughed. Suddenly, Quatre's face got a sad look, and he slowed in his steps, letting Duo get to the counter before him. "Thank you, Miss. Are you finished? Is there anything else for me to sign?" The woman shook her head and smiled, tossing her hair to the side flirtatiously.

"Don't suppose you'll have enough left over to treat a lady to dinner?"

Duo laughed. "Sorry, Miss. This money is going for a good cause. Good day." She waved at him as he backed away. He turned and realized that Quatre was already walking slowly towards the exit. "Quatre!" He lengthened his stride to catch up.

"Sorry. I'm just feeling a bit stuffy in here."

"It's more than that. Want to talk about it?" Blue-green eyes looked up at him, their depths filled with the pain of loss and confusion.

"Have you ever met someone that you know you couldn't have met? They say things or act a way that remind you of someone they couldn't be, and you don't understand why the pain of loss doesn't hurt as much when you're with them?"

They stood in the middle of the foyer, looking at each other in silent empathy. "Sometimes, you have to accept that when someone is lost to you, another person is brought who can help heal, if you let them."

"It's only been three days, Duo. Three days and talking to you makes it seem like she's not gone." He turned and started to walk away.

"Maybe she's not, Quatre." The blonde sniffled and nodded. "You know, they say the dead live on inside of us, but I think that a little bit of them gets spread around so that everyone around you is suddenly holding a little piece of them. It makes the hurt a little less, because you're still surrounded by the love of that friendship, and the warmth of that bond. They never really have to be gone."

"That sounds better than heaven." He stopped and turned around. "Thank you, Duo."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"Let's see. Blue is a very lovely color, but this is definitely too light. The green is too yellow, and the red is too dark." He shoved aside the top fabrics, and chose one from the bottom. "Perfect!" He took out the dark blue fabric with yellow stars and moons and suns, and dumped it into the cart. "Let's see. That's the bedroom, so I need another set for the living room and the spare room."

"What are you shopping for?" He looked up in surprise and smiled. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I like to go shopping on Wednesdays because business is a little slower."

"Don't worry, I won't be having a heart attack anytime in the near future. How are you today, Meiran?"

"Fine, fine, thanks." The dark-haired woman smiled. "Tell me, Duo, can you believe that I'm twenty-three today?"

"No." He tilted his head. "I must say, my dear, that you wear it well."

"Thank you." She nodded and smiled, as if she hadn't expected another answer. "What are you doing today?"

"I'm going to sew some curtains together while I wait for some guy to stop by." He shrugged. "You know, I never realized before how weird some of the people in this city are. You have power-tripping bank managers, and reincarnated debutante's and I swear that only one of the good-looking guys that I've run across in the past three days has any interest in me outside of thinking I'd be better off dead."

She laughed. "It comes with the territory. You know what they say. You can't live with them, and you can't live without them."

"Ah, here speaks a woman of experience, one tarnished by divorce, no less." She laughed again. "Please, do tell. I always like to gossip." He gave her his best pleading look.

"How about we swap tips on guys over dinner some night? You can come over to my apartment, and I'll treat you to an authentic Chinese dinner."

"No offense, Officer, but I'd much rather eat with the detective." The thought made her chuckle.

"Good luck. If you ask Wufei, cooking is a woman's job, though he cooks for himself. Of course, I wonder what he'd say to a guy that sews his own curtains."

"One of the old traditionals, where the woman's place is the kitchen and bedroom and the man runs the house?"

"That's him. His parents were sticklers for tradition. You should hear some of the things he spouts off at times." She rolled her eyes. "I love him dearly, but the man has some serious hang-ups."

"If you love him, why did you divorce him?" Duo asked curiously.

"Because he's like a brother to me. Some things in this life are okay, but for me, incest is not one of them. Forget the fact that we're not really related, I couldn't stay married to the same boy who was there the day I got my first period." It was Duo's turn to be amused. "I'm serious. I ran out of the bathroom in my shirt, screaming at the top of my lungs that I was bleeding to death. It was Wufei that told me what it was and it was Wufei that sat me down for the talk about babies and pads, and tampons."

"How old were you?"

"I was eleven at the time, and Wufei was thirteen. He's always been that way, though, too smart for his own good. There are times that he seems to know everything."

"Why did he become a cop, instead of some kind of government agent? Don't the smart ones normally join the FBI?" She shrugged.

"He did it for two reasons. One, to keep an eye on me, and two, because he feels better knowing the people that he's serving to protect. He's always been a big believer in right and wrong. On the street, he knows who the bad guys are, and he knows the victims, and he can do his job wonderfully. He really is a great guy."

Duo nodded thoughtfully, then held up two patterns. "What do you think? I need one for my living room, and one for the spare bedroom."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"Ouch." A wince for the needle stuck into his finger, again. Pull the thread through, line it up in the cloth, and push it through the fabric. "Ow." Pull through, line it up, and push. "Damn." He was on his last set of curtains, a fact that he was glad for. His finger had been poked and pricked more times than he could count, leaving countless spots of blood on his pants where he held his finger until the bleeding stopped. "Never again."

"It probably would have been easier if you'd bought them." He stilled as the voice registered in his brain. 

Read on for the non-pairing version, or go to chapter 8 for the 1x2/2x1. 

Warning, you really can't read these in order and expect them to make sense. They basically start where one scene leaves off, and then is rewritten the way that would work with whatever coupling is indicated. If it says non-pairing, that simply means that it's the next bridge...never mind. Trying to explain it before I understand would be rather unwise. Just pick your couple, and go on from there. 

Be sure to follow the directions at the end of each part/chapter/section/whatever, and try not to get too lost in my confusion.

"I must have lost track of time. I didn't realize that it was already six." Duo put the sewing aside and stood up. Violet eyes met green. "The money's on the counter. I'm pretty sure that you need it in a hurry." The gunman nodded, and turned toward the briefcase. A slender hand reached for the leather handle.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you." Two pairs of surprised eyes turned toward the doorway. Heero cocked his gun back, his face blank. "Take a step back and away." The intruder raised one red-brown eyebrow, but did as instructed. Blue eyes turned toward Duo. "The door was unlocked." He spoke brusquely. Duo smiled, and then chuckled.

"Heero, this is my nice friend…" He waited for the intruder to take up the slack. When he didn't, Duo sighed. "What's your name, handsome?" Green eyes flickered to his with surprise, while Heero rolled his.

"Keep your libido in check, Maxwell. This guy has a gun you definitely don't want to play with." That gave the braided man a pause. He frowned at the stranger, and then looked at Heero.

"Why, Heero, I didn't realize you were such a hentai." That earned him another eye roll and an exasperated sigh. Duo simply smiled at turned back to the other. "What's your name, stranger?"

"Nanashi." 

"That's cool, but do you have a name that normal people call you?" Green eyes flickered to him with disgust. "Sorry if you like it, but a name is normally something that other people use to identify you. I can't really see walking up to Meiran or Quatre and telling them that I met this odd guy named 'Nanashi'. It's a little weird, even for my taste."

"Duo, shut up." Heero rubbed at his forehead with his freehand, the other holding the gun unwaveringly. "What's going on?"

"Well, our good friend Nanashi here had to borrow some serious cash. And, you know me, when someone else is at stake I tend to get motivated. Of course, I really couldn't have done it without Quatre, but that just shows what a great guy he is. And then, of course, there's always…"

He heard a slight rustle of clothing, and then winced as a gun was cocked and pointed at his head. Green eyes stared at him, then looked to Heero. "Does he always talk this much?" Duo refrained from comment, violet eyes closing tiredly.

"Heero, he can take the money. There's more at stake than me losing some of it, and I really don't mind. If someone needs it this badly, they're welcome to it." He opened his eyes. "As for you." He turned to 'Nanashi'.  "Take the cash and leave, but you owe me one. I'm dishing up the money out of the bottom of my heart, and I expect to see you again so that you can find a way to repay me. I'll see you back here next week.. If you can't make it, you know where to leave a message. Gentlemen, it's been a long day, and I'm going to bed. Let me know how things work out. Later."

He stressed the word as he walked between them to his room, blocking Heero's aim and leaving himself open for an attack by the stranger that never came. His door shut a few seconds later, leaving the gunmen with each other for targets. After a moment, Heero lowered his weapon, and moved to take a stance by the closed door. He sat down beside it and crossed his legs, glaring at the other until he took the briefcase and left, very obviously, by the front door. 

Heero slumped backwards, reaching back to tuck the gun into the holster under his jacket. He had had a feeling that Duo Maxwell would attract trouble like honey attracted flies. Too bad he'd been right.

For the non-pairing/future pairings other than 1x2, please go on to Chapter NINE (9). Do NOT read the following chapter.


	8. Wealth (1x2 version)

If you want the 1x2, you've come to the right place, if not, please go back to chapter 7, and reread the message in the middle. I will not be held responsible if someone reads the wrong coupling by accident. This whole thing is taking too long as it isJ.

Not that I really mind.

"Heero!" Duo jumped off the couch, rounding it before his brain had a chance to catch up to his mind. "You're back!" Whether it was surprise that allowed the braided man to lock his arms around the other, or an unwillingness to back away or react, it took Duo several seconds to realize that, yes indeed, he was hugging the blue-eyed young man as if his life depended on it. A second later, and the other had withdrawn, not only from his arms, but across the room, placing the scant furniture between them. "Sorry."

Heero shrugged, his face blank, his mask unaffected by the unexpected embrace. "What are you making?" His dark blue eyes held a strange guarded curiosity, as if the words themselves had slipped out before his mind had a chance to rethink the danger of saying them.

"I'm making curtains. The blinds are alright, but I'd like to have something more…homey...." His voice trailed off questioningly. "Of course, that's just me. I always like to be able to glare at something a little more than white blends when the sun gets me up in the morning." Five minutes ago, he would have sworn that the apartment was empty, and now he could almost feel it humming, as if a large presence had filled the room, bringing with it a certain amount of warmth that he hadn't realized had been missing.

Heero merely looked at him for a moment longer, and then looked around the apartment. "What happened?"

"Me, I guess. Some guy showed up last night, and demanded that I give him four hundred thousand dollars. Not a small sum of money. He made it sound like someone else's life depended on it, and I couldn't refuse. He's coming by tonight at six." Violet eyes flickered to a clock on the wall. "I'm sure he'll be prompt, so he should be here in about twenty minutes."

"Go back to what you were doing. Pretend that I'm not here." Heero moved stealthily to the bedroom and shut the door behind him, leaving Duo to stand in confusion in the living room.

"Great. Now I have two guests that I wasn't planning on twenty-four hours ago. I have a feeling that things could get ugly, real quick."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"Hello and welcome back." Duo put the sewing aside for the second time that night and stood up. Violet eyes met green. "The money's on the counter. I'm pretty sure that you need it in a hurry." The gunman nodded, and turned toward the briefcase. A slender hand reached for the leather handle.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you." Two pairs of eyes, one surprised, the other bland, turned toward the doorway. Heero cocked his gun back, his face blank. "Take a step back and away." The intruder raised one red-brown eyebrow, but did as instructed. 

"Heero, this is my nice friend…" He waited for the intruder to take up the slack. When he didn't, Duo sighed. "What's your name, handsome?" Green eyes flickered to his with surprise, while Heero rolled his. Inside, he felt his gut tighten a little, but passed it off to the way that the braided idiot was acting so carelessly.

"Keep your libido in check, Maxwell. This guy has a gun you definitely don't want to play with." That gave the braided man a pause. He frowned at the stranger, and then looked at Heero.

"Why, Heero, I didn't realize you were such a hentai." That earned him another eye roll and an exasperated sigh. Duo simply smiled at turned back to the other. "What's your name, stranger?"

"Nanashi." 

"That's cool, but do you have a name that normal people call you?" Green eyes flickered to him with disgust. "Sorry if you like it, but a name is normally something that other people use to identify you. I can't really see walking up to Meiran or Quatre and telling them that I met this odd guy named 'Nanashi'. It's a little weird, even for my taste."

"Duo, shut up." Heero rubbed at his forehead with his freehand, the other holding the gun unwaveringly. "What's going on?"

"Well, our good friend Nanashi here had to borrow some serious cash. And you know me, when someone else is at stake, it tends to get me motivated. Of course, I really couldn't have done it without Quatre, but that just shows what a  great guy he is. And then, of course, there's always…"

He heard a slight rustle of clothing, and then winced as a gun was cocked and pointed at his head. Green eyes stared at him, then looked to Heero. "Does he always talk this much?" Duo refrained from comment, violet eyes closing tiredly.

"Heero, he can take the money. There's more to stake than me losing some of it, and I really don't mind. If someone needs it this badly, they're welcome to it." He opened his eyes. "As for you." He turned to 'Nanashi'.  "Take the cash and leave, but don't forget that you owe me one. I'll see you back here tomorrow at noon. If you can't make it, you know where to leave a message. Gentlemen, it's been a long day, and I'm going to bed. Let me know how things work out. Tomorrow."

He stressed the word as he walked between them to his room, blocking Heero's aim and leaving himself open for an attack by the stranger that never came. His door shut a few seconds later, leaving the gunmen with each other for targets. After a moment, Heero lowered his weapon, and moved to take a stance by the closed door. He sat down beside it and crossed his legs, glaring at the other until he took the briefcase and left, very obviously, by the front door. 

Heero slumped backwards, reaching back to tuck the gun into the holster under his jacket. He had had a feeling that Duo Maxwell would attract trouble like honey attracted flies. Too bad he'd been right. He should have stayed away before, or, barring that, he shouldn't have returned this time. Coming back to Duo's territory could be very bad for his health. For some reason, the prospect hadn't moved him from his guarding position.


	9. Friends (No Pairing (NP))

**This chapter marks the next one in which it is safe for all those that do AND don't want 1x2 can start reading again.**

Duo woke up slowly, his body protesting a long night spent sleeplessly battling with a pillow. He had tried to hug the damn thing, and then tried throwing it on the floor. Somehow, an hour after he'd gotten asleep, the damn thing had been under his head again, causing a tremendous ache to begin in his neck and shoulders. He grunted as he rolled out of bed, his feet barely keeping to the floor to keep him upright. Feet shuffled blindly towards the general direction of the door.

He met wall and had to pause for several seconds as he tried to remember which way it was to the door. Then he realized that he'd have to figure out which wall he was on. In the end, he settled for cracking open one eye, and lunging for the door, his shoulders hitting it hard as he collapsed against it tiredly. "Maxwell?" He grimaced slightly at the voice on the other side. He didn't particularly want to see Heero after the night before. He didn't really want to know what someone as streetwise and smart would think of him getting caught in such a situation. It just didn't bare thinking about.

Forget the fact that he had told his intruder to come back.

"I'm alive, but I'm not voting for the well part." He sighed, then turned slightly so that he could open the door without losing the support of the wall. Blue eyes met his. "I'm tired, cranky, and having a major fit of peevishness at the moment." He closed his eyes and banged his head against the wall, his body still in the doorway.

"When was your monthly?"

"My what? What kind of question is that, you impertinent-" Violets opened with shock before realization set in. One moment, he was looking stunned,  the next he was grinning like an idiot. "No more periods, , no more pads. Say 'goodbye' tampons!" He cheered and hooted and hollered. "Do you know what this means? No more mood swings, or crampings, or waking up at two in the morning to change the sheets! I won't have to feel like I'm bleeding to death for a week out of every month!"

"I'm thrilled for you, really." Heero's voice was dry with humor, but his lips were twitching. Duo's mirth was contagious, but quickly vaccinated. "What happened here last night?"

Duo gave him a look. "I've told you as much as I'm going to tell you."

"I meant about telling him to come back."

"Oh. That." Duo thought about it for a minute, then shrugged. "I don't think he's really a bad guy, I think he just fell in with the wrong people and is doing his best to save someone that's close to him."  He paused. "At least, that's what I **think**. I don't really know too much myself, but I plan on finding out. That's why I invited him back. I'm curious. I want to know all of the nitty-gritty details, and then I want to put him to work, because I don't really approve of getting something for nothing. That boy's going to earn it."

"That boy is twenty-two, and an assassin." That interrupted Duo's righteous tone. The braided brunette frowned. "You're lucky you're alive."

"Why didn't you tell me that beforehand?"

Heero shrugged, looking decidedly uncaring. Duo narrowed his eyes at him, waiting for some reaction.

"He could have killed me last night, couldn't he?"

"He could have, but that would have defeated the purpose of not killing you the day before."

"Thanks, Heero, that's so comforting." His tone said that it was anything but. "He will come back, won't he? And this time, he'll probably kill me?" Another shrug. "Listen hear, Heero! I've already died once this week: I don't feel like doing it again. I have a purpose, a mission, and I'm not going to stand around and let some silent psycho with no sense of humor take that away from me!"

Cobalt eyes blinked, before meeting Duo's gaze steadily. "If he wants you died, there is nothing you will be able to do to stop him." He paused, then continued. "Considering the fact that he did not kill you last night…"

"You were here." Duo pointed out, interrupting.

Heero raised an eyebrow, but went on. "since he did not kill you last night, I would assume that he means you no harm. Whether I was here or not, he could have killed you, or at least made the attempt. He's a highly trained professional."

"Okay, that leads me to the next question. How do you know what he is?"

Their gazes met, fused. "Because he is what I am."

"Really? Is he better than you? Is that why you didn't try to take him out last night?" There was an undertone of excitement in his voice and his eyes were sparkling.

"He and I are not in competition. We work for the same company." It got better.

"Really? Is it some highly classified organization that predates the Constitution? Where you all have secret code names and nobody is who they seem to be?"

"Something like that." Heero's face showed no emotion, a fact that Duo caught onto very quickly. 

"Why did you tell me?"

"The night that I met you, as Duet, I was supposed to kidnap you. You were to be held hostage so that the 'corporation' could profit from your family's connections. If I had completed my duty and fulfilled my obligation by abducting you, you would not have died." This was all said in a cold voice, and the effect made Duo shiver. He felt cold all over, as if he'd never warm up.

"You feel responsible, don't you? That's why you're hanging around?" He straightened, standing to full height so that he could meet Heero's gaze levelly. "I don't need your pity, Heero. I would like your friendship, and if that's not why you're here, then you can leave. Don't do me any favors. And if Nanashi returns to kill me, then so be it. I've lived a full life. Coming back was my choice."

Heero moved towards the door, his shoulders stiff. Duo watched him for a second, his eyes sad.

"I was hoping that you could at least be my friend, Heero. I'm sorry that that was too much to ask." The departing figure paused. "I don't have anybody right now, and you're the closest thing I've got to a friend. If you walk out that door, then I'm alone, with no-one. And sure, I could go out and find people to talk to, but all the ones that I want, the ones that mean anything at all to me, I don't now how to reach. More than anything, I want to reclaim the parts of Duet that were best, and that means that I need them. I need them more in death than I ever needed in life."

Heero didn't answer, but he didn't leave. Duo made his way slowly toward the other man.

"There's a whole world out there, Heero, and this is my chance to discover it. This is my opportunity to do all the things that Duet never could. But all the adventures that await me will never equal the friendship that waits for me in this town. You're included in that. I would like to be your friend, Heero, if you'll let me."

"I do not need friends." Heero said, but there was an odd light in his eyes as he turned around.

"You may not need them, but that doesn't mean you don't want them. And whether you want me as a friend or not, that's what I am. I've decided, and that's how things will be." Duo grinned, and watched as the corner's of Heero's mouth turned up slightly in the facsimile of a smile. "My home is your home. Come and go as you please."

A new voice intruded with a sarcastic, "That's sweet."

Both men looked to the door to see a tall, lanky young man leaning against the open door frame. His posture was nonchalant, as if he didn't have a care in the world, but his green eyes were weary and cold. They took in the apartment's occupants, swept through the interior, and then settled back on them with an unnerving stillness. Duo grinned at him, moving away from Heero. "Nanashi!" 

"Welcome back, Trowa." Heero greeted coldly, his hand moving to his hidden weapon as he eyed the intruder.

"Trowa, huh? Well, welcome. This is a little sooner than I expected, but oh well. We can't have everything we want." Duo waved Trowa inside, but the other man didn't move. The braided one stopped short of actually getting within arm's reach of his newest acquaintance and grinned at him. "What brings you back to my side of town?"

"You told me to return." The answer was spoken in a dry voice, but Duo could sense the amusement underneath.

"Of course I did. Come on in."

"This isn't a social call." Trowa straightened and took a step into the apartment. His gaze moved past Duo to Heero. "I have a favor to ask."

They stared each other down for a time, leaving Duo confused and more than a little aggravated. He coughed, but neither looked his way. Finally, as he opened his mouth to turn their attention back to his self, Heero nodded once, brusquely. "Here is fine."

"Here is fine for what?" Duo asked, but was ignored once again. Trowa turned around and stepped into the hallway for a moment, just out of sight around the door. When he returned, he was followed by a woman that looked to be a couple of years older than him. She was tall, as tall as the man with her, with the same red-brown hair. Her eyes were brown, and Duo winced at the black eye and split lip that she sported. He may not have known what was going on, but that didn't mean that he couldn't be a good hostess…host. "Hey."

The woman looked up at him and shrank away, backing into Trowa. He placed gentle hands on her arms and leaned down to whisper into her ear. She nodded at whatever he said, her eyes downcast. Duo tried again, approaching cautiously.

"Can I get you something? Food, water, pop, juice?" She looked up again, and he felt tears welling in his eyes at the fear and shame in her gaze. They looked at each other for a moment, before she launched herself forward and into his arms, hugging and sobbing on his shoulder. He led her to the couch and sat down with her, cradling her gently and whispering nonsensical words meant to sooth. Heero and Trowa looked at each other. Heero shrugged.

"He was a woman in a past life." Heero said by way of explanation.


	10. Shinigami

**Um, yeah…that last chapter was really short, because the time between it and the preceding chapter was just too much for my piece of mind. I HATE not working on anything for so long. It's been, what, a month? More? So, it was short, but this will hopefully be longer. Hopefully. Safe for all couples/non-couples. **

**You know what? When I first started this, I wanted either a sweet 1x2/2x1 or a 2x5/5x2. And now…now it's looking to become the longest and most involved fic that I will probably ever write. Golly Gee for me.**

Duo held the strange woman in his arms, looking at Nanashi…Trowa, over the top of her head. He narrowed his eyes, his face taking on a threatening quality as he thought of the tall man beating on the frightened female he held. A trained assassin had no right, none what so ever, to take his frustration out on woman in his arms. His expression was dark, daring Trowa to say something to defend himself. The brunette held up his hands, his emerald eyes staring back. "She was kidnapped."

There was silence in the apartment for a moment, and then Duo nodded, tightening his embrace slightly as the woman continued to cry. "She's the one you had to save, isn't she?" Another quiet pause, and then Trowa nodded. "You don't have another place to go?"

It was Heero who answered. "The corporation will not assist unless one of the agents are in trouble." Trowa looked surprised that he was sharing so much with Duo, but hid it quickly, masking his face into a contemplative study of Duo and the woman. "And their home is no longer safe."

Trowa nodded, stepping into the apartment finally so that he could shut the door. "They took her once, they may try again."

"She's your wife? Girlfriend?" A watery chuckle interrupted Duo before he could probe further. The woman pulled away from him slightly, wiping at her face with the back of her hand.

"He's my brother." Violet eyes went from her to her 'brother', before Duo nodded. They did look something alike, especially their hair color. She seemed to have regained her composure. She pulled away from Duo, and straightened. He was shorter than she was by two inches, and her brown eyes were looking down on him with a touch of amusement. He could still read the anxiety clear in her face, but it was more subdued, pushed down by what he could only guess was a supreme strength of will. The woman had character. 

Now that he was no longer holding a crying woman in his arms, Duo felt a little self-conscious. In his apartment, or to be more exact, the apartment that Fate had decided to give him, he now had three strangers. Any of the three could be potentially dangerous to him, and according to Heero, at least two were capable of killing him before he blinked. The thought wasn't exactly comforting, but he couldn't find any real fear inside. It was obvious to him now that he was being used. He didn't know if Heero had stuck around because Trowa would be bringing his sister back, or if that was just a quirk of fate, but it would make sense that the blue-eyed man had stayed to make sure that Duo would cooperate. 

He felt disappointed on many levels, but shoved the feeling down. At the moment, it wasn't his feelings of insecurities and doubts that mattered, but the live of the young lady in front of him, the same live that he had helped to save. He smiled, turning to walk into the kitchen area. For some reason, the world seemed to be getting weirder by the day. He didn't know if he could keep up with it if it went this fast, if things kept coming at him at such an incredible pace. The body he was now living in might have been stronger, but on the inside, he was still only a girl. An eighteen year-old debutant standing on the threshold of a woman-hood she would never realize.

His sigh was melancholy and quiet. The woman and Heero had huddled near Trowa and the three were now talking in hushed voices. He looked at them for a moment, watching the small, controlled movements of their hands. It looked like his assumption that the woman was innocent was wrong. He swung his gaze away, turning for his room instead of the kitchen. He didn't feel like eating suddenly. The apartment felt stuffy, as if his thoughts were filling all available space and closing in on him.

A few minutes later, he exited his room, to find his three guests still immersed in their conversation. The only difference was that they had moved from the space in front of the door to the couch, and were currently huddled over his coffee table looking at a piece of paper they had spread across the surface. He didn't bother saying goodbye to them. He figured that they would figure out he was leaving the moment he got to the door and opened it.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

The streets were deserted when he arrived on the street. He stepped out into the early afternoon sun, looking around interestedly. Even for a weekday, he had figured that someone would be out and about. He paused, violet eyes scanning the street. Admittedly, he wasn't a superstitious person, but for some reason, he had the feeling that something was amiss. He shook it off, and started toward down the street, walking pass his vehicle. Something crunched underfoot and he paused, bending down to have a look. It was some glass, probably from something being dropped and not cleaned up properly.

"Careless people," he said as he stood back up. He spoke to the air, "Your mother should have taught you to clean up after yourself better. Slobs." 

"Is there a problem, Mr. Maxwell?" Duo turned quickly, eyes wide as he stared at the man who had snuck up on him. He was sure that the street had been empty moments before. The stranger seemed to have materialized out of thin air. Violet eyes glared, taking a cautious step backwards. Something about the man seemed to raise the hair on the back of his neck.

"Nah, just found a mess that someone didn't clean up very well. Do I know you?" queried Duo. 

The man smiled, his teeth straight and white. He had dark hair, cut short and laid flat. His skin was tan, but not dark, and he stood about four inches above Duo in height. His blue eyes were staring through Duo, as if he could read everything that the braided man felt. "I'm afraid that we haven't had a chance yet to introduce ourselves, Mr. Maxwell. My name is Odin Lowell." He held out his hand. Duo shook it with a tense smile, and withdrew it as soon as was politely possible. "Hmm. You have a weak handshake, Mr. Maxwell. I would have expected more from a young man of your build."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's nice, really it is. I apologize, Mr. Lowell, but I need to be going."

"Are you late for something?" The other man asked, his eyes narrowing imperceptibly.

There was a small pause on Duo's account, but then he shrugged. "I don't really have anyplace to be, I just don't trust you."

Odin Lowell laughed. "Such honesty! I think I'm impressed with you, Mr. Maxwell."

"Can we please stop the Mister stuff? It's kind of annoying. Just call me Duo."

"Of course. And you must call me Odin."

"Sure, Odin. Now, what do you want from me, because you're certainly not here to make friendly conversation."

Odin laughed again, throwing his head back. "You amuse me also, Duo. As you've already figured, I'm not here as a friend. Quite the opposite, in fact. I have a warning for you, Duo. A little advice that I would advise you take very seriously."

"Get on with the threatening, bub. I've had about as much of you as I can stand."

"So rude, Duo. Didn't your mother teach you better manners?"

"Why do you constantly say my name? Are you expecting me to forget that you're talking to me, or is repeating it the only way you can remember it? It's more than a little repetitive," Duo heckled the man, watching as the blue eyes narrowed farther, all pretense of friendliness vanishing. He had seen that look before, when Mr. Carswell, Duet's father, had refused a merger with another company. The director of the company had looked as cold as Odin did, and had later tried to attack Carswell. 

Odin took a step forward, forcing Duo back another step to keep distance between them. The former smiled, lips twisting almost cruelly. "Duo Maxwell, it seems that you're harboring a few…strays in your apartment. For your safety, and the safety of your friends and family, I would suggest that you send them back to the pound where they belong."

"Great analogy, Odin, but they're people. And since I don't have any family and my friends are long gone, I would like to give you suggestion. You have no idea who you're messing with." He took a step forwarding, dredging up his courage. The look on the other man's face went from calm and controlled to uneasy. "You can threaten me as much as you like, but I'll give you fair warning right now. Of all the things in my life that scare me, you and what you _think_ your capable of are not. I have seen death and I know no fear. You could even say that I've made a pact with death. So don't go messing where angels fear to tread, are you'll find yourself on the wrong side of the Powers That Be."

"Are you threatening me, little boy?" Odin recovered quickly, standing his ground so that they were nose to…chest. Duo glared up at him.

"You can take it as a threat or a promise, Odin. Just don't come around here expecting me to back down and cower before you, because I will disappoint you every time."

"And that, Lowell, is your cue to leave." Duo froze, and then turned around with a grimace to look into the baleful black gaze of Chang Wufei. The detective was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, arms crossed and feet spread apart. He looked ready to fight at the drop of a hat, and Duo was glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of that glare. Yet.

"Detective Chang. How…nice to see you again. What has it been? Two years?"

"Not long enough."

"Oh, tut tut, Chang. You wouldn't want Duo here to think that you lack manners would you?"

"The only person here lacking manners is you, _Odin_. I agree with Chang. You should leave," Heero's voice broke in. Odin spun around, giving Duo a good glimpse of Heero, Trowa, and Trowa's sister standing behind them.

Odin smiled.  "Oh look, the insects have come out of hiding. It's so _good_ to see you, Cathy. Why, that's a nasty looking bruise. Whatever happened to you, my dear?" It took Duo a moment to realize that he was talking to the lady that he was still thinking of as nameless. "It seems that I'm rather outnumbered. I'll just be leaving this party." He turned back to Duo, "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Maxwell. It was so good talking to you."

He walked away without interference from anyone. When he was gone, Duo turned and looked at the other four in turn, starting with Heero and ending with Wufei. "I don't mean to pry, but what in the world is _going on_?" He was very proud of himself; he had managed to keep his voice level. They stared at him without bothering to answer. He shrugged, pinching his lips together. "Fine. I'll see everyone later. Have fun in _my_ apartment. I'll try not to disturb you when I come in." He walked away, striding past Wufei without looking him in the eye.

When he was out of earshot, Wufei looked at the other three. "What the hell is going on?"

Heero sighed, letting his mask drop for a moment. "There are problems in the corporation."

"Why is Maxwell involved?" Prussian eyes met onyx squarely.

It was Cathy who answered, "We had no place else to go."

Trowa nodded in agreement. "He told me to return, and so I did."

The detective rolled his eyes. "This is something you're going to regret later."

The other three nodded. Wufei was probably right.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

Duo growled in frustration, leaning his head against the cool bricks. He had ducked into an alleyway as soon as he had found one out of sight of the others. He closed his eyes, clenching his fists and leaning them against the wall. "I don't understand. I just don't get it."

"Don't get what?" A voice asked from someplace deeper within the shadows of the alley. 

The long-haired man straightened, turning to face the nearly invisible speaker. All he could pick out was the vague outline of a body, but the voice seemed male, so he would go with his first assumption: it was just another thug sent to hassle him. "Listen, bub, get lost. I've already dealt with one weird jerk today, I don't need you, too."

"Things not going as you had planned, Duet?" Duo felt his body stiffen, his heart jumping for moment before settling into a slightly erratic pattern. "I jus thought that I'd check up on you, see how you were doing."

"Not well." Now that he knew who the speaker was, he didn't know whether to feel relieved or angry. "What's going on?"

The figure laughed, the sound slightly mocking.  "You're really so young, you know that? I've been watching, and there are times that it's hard for me to remember that."

"You've been watching me since I came back?"

"Yes."

"Then can you help me out?" Duo asked, his voice taking on a plaintive quality. The figure laughed again. "And quit laughing. I'm not amused."  
  


"I would apologize, but I'm not sorry for enjoying this. See, I have to admit that I was using you, Duet. Or would you prefer Duo now?"

"Duo would be fine. Explain yourself." The figure laughed again. Duo bit his lip to keep himself from retorting.

"I've used you. See, I have limited power over certain events that take place. I can only do so much. My 'job', if you will, is rather important, but because of an error I made several thousand years ago, I'm almost powerless to carry out all of my functions without help."

"What you're telling me is that I've made myself a deal with the devil? All my wonderful notions of love have gotten me sent back into my personalized version of hell where I can control nothing? Thanks, Satan. Is it too late to back out of my contract?"

"I'm not the devil, though that's probably a close assumption. Heaven and Hell aren't what you think they are, Duo. God and I…we're not exactly your biblical versions of good and evil."

"Who are you, then?"

"You may call me 'Solo'. I am the one and only Death." The figure stepped closer, and Duo could tell that he was another young man, around his age, give or take a year. He had short black hair and his eyes…his eyes were completely black. "I need your help, Duo."

"Why are you asking me this now? I thought the deal was that I would come back and lead a wonderful life after falling in love. Wasn't that the purpose?"

Solo laughed again, this time more in amusement than mockery. "The limitations on my powers would not allow me to send you back. I had to enlist outside help. And since Love right now seems to be lacking helpers, do to the tragedy and hate in the world, I asked Him to help me."

"Him? Love is a guy?"

"Something to that effect. We're actually asexual, but we object to being called 'it's, so we settle for the gender noun that fits. May I continue?"

"Please, go on. I'm not only curious, but confused."

"I don't wish to continue this here. Why don't we go down the street, and have lunch?"

~~~~~_____~~~~~

End Note: Okay, this is getting me nowhere fast. You know, I had some original ideas for this, and they've gotten away from me. We'll have to see where this little train goes. The couplings will come into play later. 

Coming Soon: Action/Adventure, some Supernatural/Fantasy stuff, a little bit of drama, violence, and confusion. 

Conclusion: Not anywhere close. I just really wanted to post a bit more, since it's been so long since I did C9. 


	11. Solo

They settled on a small café located a block from Duo's apartment. Solo lead Duo to a booth in the back corner where they were out of sight of the entrance. The tables around them were empty, and the waitress seemed oblivious to their presence.

"Okay, start explaining, Death."

Solo smiled, his lips twisting up. "One moment." Duo rolled his eyes and waited for the other guy to speak. The waitress approached their table, placed a plate of food in front of each of them, and then left. Solo continued, "Sorry. I figured that you might be hungry so I thought food would be in order."

Violet eyes were staring at the waitress as she served other customers. He knew that they hadn't ordered, and her eyes when she had approached the table had been so…empty. "What did you do to her?"

"Just a quick spell. Don't worry about it unless you would rather discuss that than why I need your help."

"No, I'd rather know what's going on. Why do I now have four people back at my apartment? Why is some guy threatening me and people that I didn't know until this week? Why are there assassins staking out my apartment? And where does the detective come in?"

His questions earned him another laugh from Solo. "You are such a curious little man. It will be easier if I start from the beginning. I am Death. You can call that a good thing or a bad thing, or whatever else you want, but I am in the market for souls that have come due."

"Come due?" asked Duo.

"Everyone has a set amount of time on earth. When their time is over their time has 'come due', and I take their souls; leaving their lifeless corpses."

"What a pretty picture you paint. What does that have to do with me?"

"I haven't got there yet, Duo. Slow down and let me tell my tale. There is something to be learned from every story; if you listen."

"I'm listening. Please, continue."

"Thank you. Several thousand years ago, I screwed up and told Life that I was a better judge of character than she. She got mad and forbade me from using my powers to their full extent."

"She says 'no more' and you listen?"

The smile that Solo gave that time was more friendly than mocking. "In this world, everything is a balance. Death without life is impossible. I listen because without Life by my side I have no purpose and therefore would cease to exist. Anyway…"

"Sorry. Go on."

"Thank you again. A week ago, I became aware of a slight problem in the book." He paused and waited expectantly, then, "You can ask."

"Oh. What book?"

"The Book of Death tracks every soul that enters and exits the life-plane. Somehow, the coming due times of the souls had been switched with the time of the other. I sent a servant down to correct the error and did not notice that it hadn't been corrected until it was too late."

"Duo and Duet." Duo said quietly, understanding spreading across his face.

"Correct. By the time I noticed, your body was gone in an accident, leaving your soul homeless and without destination. Duo's body was physically still alive at the hospital, but no longer had a soul to occupy it. The only way to put your soul in his body would have been to use my magic."

"But you can't."

"Right, so I had to find another way. Love was the only answer, since Life would rub it in. Talk about temperamental. But Love couldn't do it without your consent. So I made up a pretty little fairy tale about how you had to live up to your beliefs and sent you into the body of one Duo Maxwell."

"Why couldn't you just kill his body and let my soul go on?"

Solo shook his head, grimacing slightly. "Duo's accident wasn't an accident. You were supposed to be kidnapped by Yuy, but he failed to do so. You were already figured in as a player in this game. I've been talking to Life and the Fates about you and the situation you're currently in. So far we've basically agreed that we'd let you play it out."

"Play it out?" Duo asked, hearing the telltale pause that indicated that Solo _wanted_ him to ask. 

"I'm allowed to give you certain bits of knowledge and help. I'll pop in occasionally to advise you, but until then, I have three instructions for you to follow. Number one, trust your instincts. If someone doesn't seem trustworthy, then don't trust him. Like today."

"Yeah, I get that. That Lowell guy isn't just going away, is he?"

"Not likely. My second bit of advice is to figure out who your friends are and then pay close attention to them. Everyone that is important to you may end up being an ally when you need one. Do not let your feelings interfere with what you know is a good idea." 

"Is that the third piece of advice?"

"No. The last tip I'll give you for today is to put aside your disappointment. Not everything I enticed you with in the beginning was a lie. And you may find out that what you're going to get in return is far greater than what you originally thought."

"Thank you, Solo. I'm sure that I can solve your riddles by dinner time." Duo said sarcastically. Inside, the words were churning in his head, disorganized and confusing.

Death stood up and extended his hand. Duo stood and shook the offered hand. He went to break the contact, but Solo tightened his grip, not letting him go.

"I lied. There is one last thing to tell you before we part ways for now. Go home and ask your new roommates to teach you how to defend yourself. You never know when you'll meet up with your next enemy, and it's always best to be prepared." 

Solo turned and started towards the exit. As he passed by the other diners they seemed to hesitate in mid-conversation or action, but they didn't look up or acknowledge him in any way.

"Hey, Solo!" Duo called. None of the patrons noticed him either. "What happened to Duo's soul that you couldn't just put him back in his body?"

The other man turned and looked at him for a moment, his black eyes narrowed. "His time came due."

"Why him? Why not me?" Duo asked. Instead of answering, Solo waved slightly, and then disappeared. No smoke, no fireworks. Just vanished from one second to the next. "Well, damn. As if I wasn't confused enough before."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

It was not possible for Cathy, Trowa, Heero, or Wufei to say that they knew Duo Maxwell, but when he finally reentered the apartment shortly before two o'clock that afternoon, the tension following him was palpable. Cathy was the only of the four to attempt to approach him, but he simply looked at her out of thundercloud filled eyes and stalked by, going to his room and shutting the door. She sighed, frowning as she turned back to her brother, Heero and Wufei, who were sitting on the couch. "We should tell him something. It's dangerous for him to wander around like that."

Duo chose that moment to reenter the room, which was a good thing because the other three had nothing positive to say about him. He looked at them all with violet eyes, his lips pinched together in thoughtful disapproval. "It's not like it would matter if I died, since I'm sure that the three of you could manage very well in finding another apartment to invade." He leaned against the wall, stretching his legs out in an almost casual manner. 

"I'm sorry, Duo," Cathy apologized, once more stepping towards him. He held up a hand.

"Don't apologize. It's not like anybody has really lied to me. In fact, I'd say that if we stretched out my secrets in comparison to yours, we'd find that they measured about the same." His eyes caught Heero's and he raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what the other man would have to say. When he had told Heero about being Duet, it had been with the understanding that Heero was just another human being, susceptible to the same belief systems as normal people. However, Duo had doubts that someone who dealt with death everyday as an assassin would be truly willing to believe not only in reincarnation, but also in the fact that Duet's soul had taken over the body of someone who had been alive longer than she had. 

Duo was living it, and he wasn't sure if he believed it.

Wufei stood up and faced him, his feet shoulder width apart, his hands clasped behind his back. "I tried to convince them to stay at my place, but they refused. Tell them to leave now, Maxwell, and I'll have them out of here. They had no right to bring an outsider into their problems."

"Get over it, Detective." Duo waved his offer aside, pushing away from the wall and making his way to the kitchen. "You're all welcome to stay as long as the rest of the people in this building are not harmed. The moment their lives become endangered, we're all out here. I include myself because I don't think that Odin Lowell will be forgetting about me anytime in the near future." He opened a cupboard, shut it, opened the next, and pulled out a glass. From the fridge, he took a gallon of milk filled the glass. He placed the gallon on the counter and turned around, facing them over the counter that separated the two rooms. "I have some questions, and I want complete honesty from all of you."

Trowa and Heero looked at each other, then at Wufei. He closed his eyes and nodded, a gesture of defeat. He didn't want anyone involved that didn't have to be, but it seemed that Duo was stuck in their mess.

"We can't promise to tell you everything, but we won't lie to you," Trowa answered, standing up so that he, too, could face Duo. Heero stayed on the couch, the back of his head turned to Duo. 

The braided man nodded, taking a drink of milk and then sitting the glass on the counter in front of him. He leaned down, supporting his weight on his forearms as he looked at the group in front of him. "Are you all part of the corporation? What part does each of you play? How is the detective involved? Why was Cathy kidnapped and hurt? _What in the world do I have to do with anything?_ And who's going to teach me to defend myself, because I really don't want someone to be able to beat me up without anytime of struggle?"

Duo decided then and there the he liked Cathy; she laughed, throwing her head back in a full-throated chuckle that filled the apartment for a brief moment. Her brother looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She waved him aside and sat down on a chair, her body shaking in quiet laughter. Wufei looked at her, shook his head, and took a seat back on the couch. Heero stood up and moved across the room, standing by the far wall from Duo for a moment.

Finally, he turned around, and Prussian blue met crystal violet. 

"Where do I start?" Heero asked, his voice just loud enough to be audible from across the room.

"Start with what you can tell me of the corporation," Duo requested, settling himself to lean against the wall comfortably. Heero nodded, taking a stance much like the one Wufei had taken up earlier, except he crossed his arms in front of him.

"The corporation is a well-guarded secret. In the past it as worked equally as an ally to several government agencies as well as anti-government," He started.

Cathy took over, "When he says government, we're not just talking the United States. The network includes all but the smallest and poorest of the third world countries. The origin of the corporation is unknown to all but the agents with the highest clearance. Everything is on a need to know basis and all a field agent needs to know is the target and the price. We're bounty hunters with a semi-permanent contract. You're in until you die or until they let you go. There is no escape and there is no quitting."

"Each agent is specialized in certain fields. Training begins at the earliest possible age," Trowa continued when Cathy stopped, "And employment within the corporation continues until the ones in charge decide that there is no longer a need for that agency."

"All agents are replaceable," Wufei added. He was leaning back on the couch almost casually, if one didn't look at his clenched fists. "The corporation rarely sends more than one per mission, and as a policy never sends aid."

There was a pause as they gave Duo a moment to absorb everything. When he judged that enough time had passed, Heero asked brusquely, "Questions?"

Duo nodded, but didn't speak for a moment. "Why are you here? It sounds like there must be enough room or money for you to find someplace safe to hide."

Cathy shook her head. "The corporation does not accept weakness. All agents are expected to take care of themselves. We do not have partners; we do not claim family or friends. We keep to ourselves unless we are prepared to handle the risks ourselves."

"We are loyal to the corporation and the corporation is only loyal to itself. It will help cover up the work of its agents up to the point when that agent becomes a liability. Then they are contracted and assassinated," Heero spoke calmly, his blank face revealing nothing. As Duo met Cathy's and then Trowa's eyes, he felt a chill pass over him. Here were people who would kill him without a second thought. They took the lives of others everyday. "Question?"

"Stop sounding so much like a teacher. Yeah, I have questions. This is kind of new, you know," Duo growled in frustration. "What part does Detective Chang play in all of this?" 

Heero looked down, leaving Duo to assume that he communicating silently with Wufei. Blue eyes looked up again. "That is a story for later."

"No," Duo shook his head. "I want it now. What part does he play? How does he know Odin? And for that matter, who is Odin Lowell? What part does he play?"

"Odin Lowell used to be an agent. Or to be more precise, he held one of the top positions in the corporation. Three years ago, he had a partner. They both had a double-identity in law enforcement. He turned on the partner and almost got him killed when he started work for an opposing agency. They're not as established as the corporation, but they've managed to take several of the top agents and turn them. They're smaller and more protective of their agents and so it is more difficult to track and kill them, because they work in groups. They frequently try to turn agents to their agency," Heero answered part of Duo's question. 

Trowa shifted slightly, showing a small measure of discomfort on his face before he locked it behind his watchful expression. Duo met his green gaze squarely, waiting for him to speak. The only time the tall man moved was when he prepared to speak. "That is where Cathy and I come in. We started with the corporation and were contracted to infiltrate the opposition. We were found out, but the agent decided to try for cash in the bargain. He was going to kill her as ordered unless I brought him the money he knew I didn't have."

"He managed to trace all of our funds," Cathy took up the conversation, placing a hand on Trowa's arm. "He froze our accounts, knowing that without _our_ money, Trowa would have to go somewhere else. He had hoped that he would find someone he could later blackmail for money, but he didn't plan on the fact that he wouldn't live that long."

"Okay, that brings me up to date on you two." Duo nodded at brother and sister, then moved his gaze back to Heero. "You're turn."

"Classified," his tone said no argument.

"And I'm getting nothing on Woofee until he's ready to talk to me, so we're full circle, and I still feel as if I know nothing." Duo slumped against the counter, dropping his head so that his spiky bangs brushed the tiled surface. "Okay, here's the deal. It seems that you're as stuck with me as I am with you. You can suffer; I plan on having some kind of epiphany within the next few hours or days, after which I'll know exactly what's going on. Barring that, I need to learn to defend myself; I need to know exactly why you're _here_ as in why you're in _my apartment_ because your explanations suck; and then I want to know what's supposed to happen next, because I'm pretty sure that _something_ is going to happen."

"Acceptable," Heero replied. Without looking up, Duo knew that the others agreed, simply because none voiced a disagreement. 

"Great. I'm so glad that we agree." He felt a gentle hand on the back of his head, but didn't bother to look up. The only person in his apartment at that moment that would even _consider_ reaching out to him was Cathy. 

"Maybe you should go to bed," she suggested quietly.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Duo straightened up and gave her a dim smile. "I'm going to take a nap. I'll see everyone in a couple of hours. Don't do anything exciting without me," he joked softly. The other three men were already immersed in a conversation that excluded the both of them. He narrowed his eyes as he rounded the corner and turned towards his room. "Good night, everyone."

Trowa looked at him and nodded, but neither of the other two gave any indication that they had heard him. Cathy walked with him, placing a momentary hand on his arm. "Sleep well, Duo."

"Thanks."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

It was still afternoon when Duo shut the door behind him, but he managed to effectively blot out the sun by closing the blinds and the curtains. Then he hung the top blanket from the bed as an extra form of blockage against the sun. He took off his shirt, shoes and socks, and then crawled into bed, pants still on. He lay on the top sheet, now the top covering on the bed, and stared up into darkness. The bed was still unfamiliar, although his body was already adapted to it. The joy of having your body broken in before you get it.

He closed his eyes, drawing his right foot up so that his knee was pointed towards the ceiling. His left arm was crooked behind his head. With the door shut, the apartment was completely silent except for the ticking of the alarm clock on the bedside table, although he didn't do more than glance at it before he lay down, he knew that it was only about four in the afternoon. Too early to actually go to sleep and probably too late for a nap, but at the moment he felt tired. Drained would have been a better word.

In the stillness of the room, it didn't take very long for the silence to lull him to sleep. His breathing evened out, his heart rate slowing as he fell into slumber. On the other side of the door, the conversation had moved from whatever its original topic had been to Duo.

"Someone should check on him," Cathy said quietly.

"He's a grown man, he'll be fine," Wufei countered.

There was a slight pause, and then Heero looked towards the door. "He's not as strong as you think he should be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Cathy. Heero didn't respond. "Listen, we know that we're all on the same side, and now we have Duo to worry about. If there's something about him that could endanger his life, we should know about it."

Trowa shook his head in disagreement, "We all have our secrets to tell. If Duo and Heero have one between them, it is best left between them until they are ready." 

Wufei snorted, "These secrets are likely to get us all killed."

"You're one to talk, Woofee," Cathy interjected heatedly, her brown eyes boring into the detective with unerring intensity. "You were the first to refuse to share with us today, so don't start in on him. Only _weak_ hypocrites criticize others for things that they themselves do."

"Stop arguing. Someone should check on Duo," Heero's proclamation was met with silence.

The four looked at each other, then at the door, and then back at each other. Finally, one sighed.

"I'll do it." The voice was grudging.

Back to Rae-space. The next five chapters are split. Choose the one you read based on the pairing you would prefer:

****

Chapter Twelve: Dream: 1x2/2x1

Chapter Thirteen: Dream: 2x5/5x2

Chapter Fourteen: Dream: 2x3/3x2

Chapter Fifteen: Dream: 2xC

Chapter Sixteen: Dream: Non-pairing

And yes, you read the one correctly. What is the point of illustrating that love knows no gender if I do not include straight pairings? Only a hypocrite criticizes others for the things he himself does.


	12. Dream-1x2/2x1

Heero opened the door slowly and quietly, and then shut it behind him quickly so that the light from the other room wouldn't disturb the sleeper on the bed. He approached the slumbering form with quiet steps, his eyes adjusting quickly to the lack of light. He could make out the shape of Duo's body, but even with his night-vision, he would have been hard-pressed to identify any of Duo's features. Even if he hadn't already memorized them.

__

Everything was dark. Duo felt the sensation of walking, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was. It could have been outside, but there was no noise, either of traffic or of wilderness. He could have been in his apartment, but he couldn't detect the presence of another person…

Wait! There –was- someone else in the darkness. He stepped forward, hands in front of him to stop his body from running into anything. After a short moment of moving forward, he stopped, feeling the presence move around behind him, almost as if it were circling him. "Who's there?" he asked the darkness.

A light flashed and his eyes closed instinctively. When he opened them again, he was standing in the middle of a deserted road, just on the edge of a ring of light given off by a nearby lamppost. He looked up at the light and followed the line of the pole to the figure standing at the base. Prussian blue eyes stared back at him, their depths as unreadable as the face they were set in. 

"Heero?"

"You shouldn't be involved with this. You're not safe."

He hesitated beside the bed for a moment, and then sat down on it gently. Duo mumbled in his sleep and shifted towards Heero, but didn't wake up. It took a moment for Heero to realize that he was holding his breath expectantly.

__

"I can't back out of this, Heero. You know that." Duo said softly, taking a single step forward. "There is more involved in all of this than you think."

"I can't protect you, Duo. I don't know how," Heero admitted softly, his eyes brimming with a vulnerability that Duo hadn't know he possessed. 

Heero put a hand out, gently smoothing Dou's bangs back from his face. His fingers hesitated, and then trailed a course tenderly down the side of his face, resting at his jaw as he closed his eyes, picturing Duo's face in his mind. In the darkness, he whispered softly.

"I don't know how to protect you, Duo. I don't know how."

__

Duo's head jerked up, and he looked around wildly. Something was wrong. He tilted his head, listening; he caught the barely discernible sound of a car approaching. When he looked back at Heero, the blue eyes were still regarding him steadily. "Heero."

"Yes, Duo?" Heero returned, a small smile tilting up the corners of his mouth. Duo stared at him for a moment, missing the two beams of light that shot out of the darkness suddenly. He turned his head as the noise of an engine grew louder. He blinked in the bright glare given off from the headlights, and then had to blink again when the light disappeared. The sound didn't, however. He could feel it approaching, and his mind recoiled. He could recall vividly the accident that had killed him.

He crumpled to the ground as it drew closer. He was crying, his body aching with remembered pain. "Heero!" he called, whether with his mind or with his heart, he didn't know.

Suddenly, two steely hands reached out and pulled him out of the way as he felt the car whiz by him in the dark. He looked up, tears falling down his face, into Heero's impassive face. Their was a coldness in his eyes that Duo hadn't seen, even with Heero's reserve, except that day in the police station, when Heero had been lead in forcibly. Without his conscious effort, his hand reached up and traced one side of Heero's jaw with his fingertips. "You've already saved me twice."

"It wasn't enough," Heero's voice was soft, his face moving closer to Duo's as his expression softened. Their lips were fractions apart, and Duo could already taste Heero's breath against his lips, could feel the press of their lips together…

Duo jerked into a sitting position, his heart beating hard in his chest, his eyes wide in the dark. He reached a hand out blindly, and met with air for several seconds before he found the switch for the light beside his bed. He turned it on and light revealed the room to his eyes. He was alone. The door was shut, the windows still keeping out the light of day. He drew in a shuddery breath, closing his eyes as he remember the anticipation of his dream. 

"It's never enough," he muttered to the empty air, filling the silence with his ragged breathing. He looked down at his lap and grimaced. He had more problems to deal with than odd dreams; the after effects of said dream being one of them.

****

Go to Chapter 17 to resume reading the story, or return to 11 and choose another couple.


	13. Dream-2x5/5x2

Wufei opened the door slowly and quietly, and then shut it behind him quickly so that the light from the other room wouldn't disturb the sleeper on the bed. He approached the slumbering form with quiet steps, his eyes adjusting quickly to the lack of light. He could make out the shape of the body on the bed, but the figures were indistinct in the darkness of the room.

__

Everything was dark. Duo felt the sensation of walking, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was. It could have been outside, but there was no noise, either of traffic or wilderness. He could have been in his apartment, but he couldn't detect the presence of another person…

Wait! There –was- someone else in the darkness. He stepped forward, hands in front of him to stop his body from running into anything. After a short moment of moving forward, he stopped, feeling the presence move around behind him, almost as if it were circling him. "Who's there?" he asked the darkness.

A light flashed and his eyes closed instinctively. When he opened them again, he was standing in the middle of a deserted road, just on the edge of a ring of light given off by a nearby lamppost. He looked up at the light and followed the pole to the figure standing at the base. Onyx eyes stared back at him, their depths as unreadable as the face they were set in.

"Chang?"

"You're weak," Wufei stated coldly.

"So?"

"You don't belong in this war."

"What war?" Duo asked, perplexed.

He sat down on the bed gently, careful not to disturb Duo too much. The braided man mumbled something in his sleep, and curled closer, one hand reaching out and resting against Wufei's leg. The detective reached out with his hand and gently smoothed the bangs back from Duo's face. 

__

The detective looked away from him, black eyes sweeping up and down the road. Duo felt another presence approaching, and looked around wildly. The sense he had received from Wufei shortly before he saw him had been almost soothing. The new feeling was black, like the oncoming of doom. The feeling you get when you know that you've pissed off the biggest man in the bar by insulting his mother.

"The war between Life and Death," Odin said, stepping into the shadows. Where he came from, Duo didn't know, but the chill the man carried with him was already making Duo shiver.

"What war?" Duo asked again, this time with more force. Odin approached him, eyes hard and cold. –Lifeless- Duo realized. Odin's eyes were like the waitress's at the café. Devoid of feeling and humanity.

Duo wanted to back away; he could feel the fear clutching at him, begging him to hurry away. Odin was reaching out for him, his arms extended and his fingers curled. Duo knew that the other man wanted to strangle him, but he couldn't force his legs to move him back.

Suddenly, Wufei stepped between them. Odin disappeared as black eyes looked down into violet. Wufei reached a hand up, and gently cupped the side of Duo's face. "You don't belong here. I can't protect you."

"Protect me from what?"

Wufei sighed and spoke quietly the man sleeping so quietly before him. "You shouldn't be involved. We have no way of keeping you safe." He paused, his hand gently resting on the side of Duo's face, his thumb tracing a soothing pattern on one smooth cheek. "I have no way of protecting you," he amended.

__

"From everything. You're vulnerable. You're a weakness that we can not afford and if the agency finds out, you will be exploited."

"I'll learn to protect myself. I'm involved now, and there's no way out for me, so just accept things as they are. You can't get rid of me."

"I know." Wufei's face softened, and he leaned closer, their similar heights to his advantage as his breath wafted over Duo's lips. Duo could almost taste him, could nearly feel the press of their lips together.

Duo jerked into a sitting position, his heart beating hard in his chest, his eyes wide in the dark. He reached a hand out blindly, and met with air for several seconds before he found the switch for the light beside his bed. He turned it on and light revealed the room to his eyes. He was alone. The door was shut, the windows still keeping out the light of day. He drew in a shuddery breath, closing his eyes as he remember the anticipation of his dream. 

"That was interesting," he muttered to the empty air, filling the silence with his ragged breathing. He looked down at his lap and grimaced. He had more problems to deal with than odd dreams; the after effects of said dream being one of them.

__ ****

Go to Chapter 17 to resume reading the story, or return to 11 and choose another couple.


	14. Dream-2x3/3x2

Trowa opened the door slowly and quietly, and then shut it behind him quickly so that the light from the other room wouldn't disturb the sleeper on the bed. He approached the slumbering form with quiet steps, his eyes adjusting quickly to the lack of light. He could make out the shape of the body on the bed, his eyes adjusting quickly so that he could study Duo's features easily.

__

Everything was dark. Duo felt the sensation of walking, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was. It could have been outside, but there was no noise, either of traffic or of wilderness. He could have been in his apartment, but he couldn't detect the presence of another person…

Wait! There –was- someone else in the darkness. He stepped forward, hands in front of him to stop his body from running into anything. After a short moment of moving forward, he stopped, feeling the presence move around behind him, almost as if it were circling him. "Who's there?" he asked the darkness.

A light flashed and his eyes closed instinctively. When he opened them again, he was standing in the middle of a deserted road, just on the edge of a ring of light given off by a nearby lamppost. He looked up at the light and followed the pole to the figure standing at the base. Green eyes stared back at him, their depths as unreadable as the face they were set in.

"Nanashi?" Duo asked incredulously.

Trowa looked at him blankly from one eye. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, his head tilted toward the pole that he leaned on; his legs were crossed at the ankles. "Duo."

"Trowa?" 

The green eyes sparkled for a moment, thin lips curling up in a small smile before the expression was lost. "That would be my name."

"What's going on? Where are we?"

He sat down gently beside the sleeping form and smiled slightly when Duo mumbled in his sleep and shifted closer. 

__

"We're in your apartment," Trowa said, and suddenly they were. Duo found himself in the middle of his living room, looking around at blank walls and an empty floor.

"Where's all my stuff?"

"It wasn't yours to begin with." Trowa answered simply.

Duo raised an eyebrow. "That still doesn't tell me where all that stuff went to."

"Objects are the first things lost in a war. Your home is next. And then those you care about."

"What are you talking about?" Duo asked, taking a step toward the green-eyed man. 

"You can't protect your family if you don't fight in the war."

Duo felt the ground begin to shake under him. He reached out for something to support himself against, but only found Trowa's arm. He looked up at the assassin.

"I can't protect you, Duo. Cathy…"

"She's your first priority."

He smoothed back dark bags from the heart-shaped face and smiled when Duo mumbled again, turning his head into the touch. "So innocent."

__

Trowa brought his hand up and cupped Duo's face gently, tilting his head back just a little more. "You're nothing more than a child."

"I can defend myself, Trowa, if that's what you're getting after. I'm not helpless."

"Or weak. I can see that in you. You're strong."

Trowa frowned, his eyes narrowing in the darkness as he studied the man in front of him. "The innocent should be the survivors."

__

Duo leaned against Trowa, stepping onto his toes so that the distance between them lessened. He could feel Trowa's breath against his lips and cheeks, could almost feel the pressure of their lips pressed together in a kiss.

Duo jerked into a sitting position, his heart beating hard in his chest, his eyes wide in the dark. He reached a hand out blindly, and met with air for several seconds before he found the switch for the light beside his bed. He turned it on and light revealed the room to his eyes. He was alone. The door was shut, the windows still keeping out the light of day. He drew in a shuddery breath, closing his eyes as he remember the anticipation of his dream. 

"I don't feel very childish," he muttered to the empty air, filling the silence with his ragged breathing. He looked down at his lap and grimaced. He had more problems to deal with than odd dreams; the after effects of said dream being one of them.

__ ****

Go to Chapter 17 to resume reading the story, or return to 11 and choose another couple.


	15. Dream-2xCathy

Cathy opened the door slowly and quietly, and then shut it behind her quickly so that the light from the other room wouldn't disturb the sleeper on the bed. She approached the slumbering form with quiet steps, her eyes adjusting quickly to the lack of light. She could make out the shape of the body on the bed, Duo's features easily discernible.

__

Everything was dark. Duo felt the sensation of walking, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was. It could have been outside, but there was no noise, either of traffic or wilderness. He could have been in his apartment, but he couldn't detect the presence of another person…

Wait! There –was- someone else in the darkness. He stepped forward, hands in front of him to stop his body from running into anything. After a short moment of moving forward, he stopped, feeling the presence move around behind him, almost as if it were circling him. "Who's there?" he asked the darkness.

__

A light flashed and his eyes closed instinctively. When he opened them again, he was standing in the middle of a deserted road, just on the edge of a ring of light given of by a nearby lamppost. He looked up at the light and followed the pole to the figure standing at the base. Brown eyes stared back at him.

"Cathy?"

"Hello, Duo. You do realize that you're dreaming, don't you?"

Duo looked around, looking for signs that she was joking with him. No shapes stood out, no houses, no landscape. Just the dull shadows in his mind existed. "I know now."

She smiled, stepping down from the curb and approaching him. "And you also know that what you're involved in isn't all that you think it is?"

"What do you mean?"

"Solo didn't tell you everything, but I expect you know that, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. I'm really just here to warn you. You're a new pawn in an old game, and the chances for your survival are slim. If you're not careful, you could be the domino that takes us all out."

"How do I stop that?" asked Duo, feeling the truth in her words.

"You already have the right idea. You have to learn. And with wisdom comes life. You need your friends now more than ever. You must be careful, but at the same time, you have to learn to trust your judgement."

"I'm sorry, Cathy, but I'm as confused now as I was before."

"Then I'll just add another riddle, and see if you can work it out. You have multiple purposes right now, some of which you're not even aware of. One of them you do know, is to fall in love, which you've accepted rather easily."

"Falling in love isn't a choice, so it's something I'm not actually going to have to think about." 

"Don't be so quick to dismiss this as something that will come with time. It is a large part of why you're here, even if Solo doesn't want you to recognize it. Do you honestly think that he'd be allowed to lie in that space between living and dying where you first met him?"

"It would make sense if he couldn't," Duo admitted, perplexed. "I don't remember now exactly what he said."

"When it comes to you, you will know. Until then, guard your life well."

"Guard-" He started, only to be cut off by an explosion nearby. "What's going on?"

"When the end comes, will you have completed your purpose?"

Duo jerked into a sitting position, his heart beating hard in his chest, his eyes wide in the dark. He reached a hand out blindly, and met with air for several seconds before he found the switch for the light beside his bed. He turned it on and light revealed the room to his eyes. He was alone. The door was shut, the windows still keeping out the light of day. He drew in a shuddery breath, closing his eyes as he remember the anticipation of his dream. 

"I don't feel very childish," he muttered to the empty air, filling the silence with his ragged breathing. He looked down at his lap and grimaced. He had more problems to deal with than odd dreams; the after effects of said dream being one of them.

****

Go to Chapter 17 to resume reading the story, or return to 11 and choose another couple.


	16. Dream-NP

The slow fall into slumber was quick, the emotional turmoil of the past several days making the transition from wakeful to sleep a mere few seconds from the time he closed his eyes. He wasn't asleep very long before the door opened, and Cathy stepped into the room.

She was silent, though she wanted nothing more than to grumble out loud about the men in the adjacent room. Leave it her brother and associates to stick her with being the one to watch over Duo. Grudgingly, she admitted that she didn't mind. If it had, she wouldn't have done it, pure and simple. Besides, babysitting was not a requirement in their line of work.

While she was being honest, she admitted to herself that the entire situation was unconventional. Creating an asset and using that person was one thing, but to allow a civilian to know so much and then to trust them was highly irregular. It still amazed her to know that it had been Heero who had started the whole business by trying to break into Duo's car.

Heero Yuy was, by far, the best agent the corporation had ever had. He was the perfect killing machine, except on those rare occasions when his targets were to be kept alive, and even then his methods brought about the flawless delivery of some rich person to utilize for their needs. 

Standing over the bed, she smiled down at the sleeping form lying sprawled atop the covers. As of yet, Heero had yet to justify his actions. He refused to give her or Trowa the reasons behind his continued interest in Duo, or his insistence that they stay with him. It had been Heero who agreed to let them stay, not Duo.

She felt bad for the young man. At first glance, he seemed innocent, but the moment he opened his mouth, he seemed to be a walking contradiction, knowing everything and nothing. Odd as it may have seemed, especially in a profession where having friends could get you killed, he seemed to draw people to him, including her and the three in the room next door.

"You're an odd man, Duo Maxwell," she said softly, turning back towards the living room. He was fine, and they had some things to work out.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

__

Everything was dark. Duo felt the sensation of walking, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was. It could have been outside, but there was no noise, either of traffic or wilderness. He could have been in his apartment, but he couldn't detect the presence of another person…

Wait! There –was- someone else in the darkness. He stepped forward, hands in front of him to stop his body from running into anything. After a short moment, he stopped, feeling the presence move around behind him, almost as if it were circling him. "Who's there?" he asked the darkness.

A light flashed and his eyes closed instinctively. When he opened them again, he was standing in the middle of a deserted road, just on the edge of a ring of light given of by a nearby lamppost. Around him stood the strangest assortment of people, all of whom he had met in one lifetime or another.

"This is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Duet," Dorothy said mockingly, one forked eyebrow raised in a familiar expression of superiority. At the use of his previous name, he looked down at his body, only to find out that he wasn't Duo anymore.

She was wearing the same dress as on the night she was killed, but her violet eyes could see the rips and tears in the fabric, and the stains of her own dried blood. Duet looked up again, her eyes flickering uncertainly among the faces that seemed so familiar and yet so strange.

"Silly woman. You should stay out of things that are beyond you," Wufei said coldly, leaning against the lamppost. Beside him, leaning against the same pole, Heero nodded. Duet winced, looking away. It was obviously that they wanted nothing to do with her.

"You should have stayed with us, Du," Sally said quietly. Duet had to turn around to see her. "If you had stayed where you were, none of this would have happened. Now you're stuck like that and left defenseless."

This time, when Duet looked down, she was Duo once more. He sighed, reaching up to rub a hand against his temple.

"Why did you take her away from me?" Quatre asked, causing Duo to whip around again to face the blonde. "She was my best friend, but you took her away. From all of us?" He waved his arms to encompass the entire group. Cathy and Trowa were there, with Noin, Milliardo, and Relena. Une was standing next to Dorothy.

His head reeling with a feeling of disorientation, Duo glared at his best friend. "I didn't do anything! I'm right here, Quatre. I'm still Duet."

"No, you're not." Relena shook her head. "You're not the girl that was our friend."

"You will never be her again," Noin agreed, her dark head bowed. "She was the only thing that held us all together, and you've taken that away from us."

"I'm sorry," he said, for lack of anything better. They were right. He could never be Duet again. Her time in life had come and gone. That didn't mean that he couldn't be their friend again, however. "I won't let you down. I'm not Duet, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of her left in me."

"You'll have to live before you get a chance to prove that," Trowa warned, his green eyes fixed on Duo.

"I'm not dying a second time." His voice was firm.

Cathy smiled sadly. "How can you stop what is meant to be?"

Duo jerked upright in bed, breathing hard. His heart was racing and the blood was racing through his veins in a desperate attempt to bring his body back under control. He licked his lips and put a hand to his head, rubbing at his temple.

He froze when he realized that it was a move that he had done in his dream. As far as he could remember, it wasn't something that Duet had ever done. He took a calming breath and stood up slowly, making his way from the room. 

The rest of the apartment was dark. He frowned. That seemed odd. When he had gone to bed, the others had seemed ready to spend at least the night, if not longer. He could almost understand Wufei not being there, since he was still a detective and probably had to work and sleep at some point.

The absence of the others, however, was more pronounced. He had thought that it wasn't safe for Cathy outside the apartment, but it seemed that he had been misinformed. It didn't surprise him. Much.

If he was honest, had had kind of expected them to disappear on him without some warning, but it still hurt. 

He squared his shoulders and headed into the bathroom. He needed a shower and a change of clothes. There was a moment's hesitation during which he tried do decide to shower first and then get his clothes or get his clothes first and then shower.

He rolled his eyes at his own indecisiveness. "Clothes first." He walked into the still darkened bedroom and pulled the blanket off the window before throwing open the top drawer of the dresser. He sorted through the drawer by touch until he finally pulled out a pair of boxer shorts. In the second drawer, he picked a pair of soft-feeling pajama bottoms.

Back into the living room and then into the bathroom. He shut the door and turned on the light, then started the water for the shower. The light from the bathroom leaked under the door, lighting the rest of the dark, empty apartment.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

He stepped out of the shower thirty minutes later and wrapped a towel around his hair. Violet eyes sought out his body in the mirror on the back of the door, and he twisted this way and that, admiring his body. He had done the same thing every day since acquiring it, and he had yet to grow tired of it. It was hard to believe that he looked like _that_. He wasn't complaining though. 

He toweled his body dry and then stepped into his bedclothes. He was starting to feel tired again, a fact belied by a yawn that stole from his mouth. He smiled at himself in the mirror, baring his teeth for inspection next. His teeth now were okay, but Duet's had been better, perfected after three years in braces. He set about brushing his teeth next.

When he was done and satisfied that he was clean from top to bottom, he flipped off the light and then opened the door.

Silence greeted him, except for a near-silent hissing sound from across the room. "Great. The only people that I know have up and disappeared on me. Nothing like abandonment to make a girl…a man feel loved." He laughed over his own slip up. 

He yawned again, breaking off into a cough. He stumbled his way to the kitchen and reached for the switch that worked the light over the stove. His hand hesitated, as something in his mind clicked. He cocked his head to the side, listening. There was still that quiet hissing sound.

His nose wrinkled as he sniffed the air, and his eyes widened. The air was unnaturally thick, almost to the degree of being cloying. He slowly moved his hand away from the wall, taking a step back as he did so.

He heard the sound of a key in the lock and his eyes widened. The door opened, revealing nothing more than a silhouette in the light from the door. "Don't move!" The person froze. "There's a gas leak, and it's bad. Go next door and call the police."

The figure hesitated and the disappeared, leaving the door open. Duo made his way quickly out of the apartment, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it has he took a deep breath of clean air. He went to move down the hall, toward the open door of his neighbor where he assumed the other person had gone to, but has halted by a sharp tugging at the back of his head.

His braid was stuck in the door. He gritted his teeth and angled his body around so that he could cautiously open the door. The knob didn't budge. His eyes widened as he realized that the door was locked. He was stuck.

"Help!" He yelled, tugging frantically at the tail of his hair, hoping that his hair would come unstuck. "Somebody bring a pair of scissors!"

His voice echoed up and down the hallway. He frowned. If whoever had come to his door had gone for help, then someone from that apartment should have come out to check on him. He narrowed his eyes at the doorway that he could see. There didn't seem to be movement nor sound coming from hit. 

He twisted his body to face the other way and looked closely at the only other door in his hallway. The door was shut, or looked to be, but on closer inspection, he noticed that it was slightly ajar.

He wasn't alone on his floor, but whoever was out there didn't seem too friendly.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

Heero frowned at the street below. It was empty and had been for the better part of an hour. Behind him and across the rooftop, Trowa and Cathy stood guarding the rear of the building and the alleys beside it.

He turned around, his Prussian eyes narrowing as he studied them for a moment. His earliest lesson in life had been to trust no one, but it seemed that recently, he was having a difficult time following those rules.

He sighed quietly, turning back around to watch the street in front of Duo's apartment building. After a long discussion downstairs Wufei had left, and Heero had decided that the best way to protect themselves was to keep anyone from getting too close to the location they were staying at. The three of them had headed to the roof shortly after that.

At the end of the street to his left a shadow moved. He stiffened, his hand going to the gun in the back of his pants. A cat stepped out of the shadows and he relaxed fractionally. There was still too much danger to let his guard down completely.

"Someone should go down and check on Duo," Cathy announced, turning around to face Heero. Trowa was still keeping careful watch of the alley behind the apartment building.

Heero turned to look at her once and then returned his gaze to the street. "If you're so concerned about him then go." He said it coldly.

She sighed in frustration. "He's in danger because of us! It's not right to leave him without explanation! He deserves to know enough to at stay alive." Her anger was a palpable thing, but it was her logic and the fact that she was right that made Heero turn around.

"I'll go. Come up here." She looked at him in surprise, but complied. He walked away from her without further discussion. When he was gone, she smiled slightly. He might like to think that he was cold and heartless, but she was starting to think that that was little more than an act.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

Duo strived for patience and prayed for mercy. Neither strategy seemed to be working. The thick smell of gas was starting to leak under the door and into the hallway, and he'd heard a short, muffled scream come from the hallway perpendicular to his, then nothing.

The silence was interminable, making him want to scream in frustration. He didn't dare, for fear of attracting unwanted attention. He was slowly coming to the conclusion that he wasn't the only person who was supposed to die of asphyxiation or in an explosion. 

From what he could tell, the 'other guy', as he had decided to deem him, was making his way through all of the apartments on the twelfth floor and killing all of the inhabitants. He sniffed the air again and his eyes widened.

There was too much gas in the hallway for it to have all come from his apartment. He looked at the open door on his right and whimpered in fear.

The whole upper floors of the building was going to explode, all due to one gigantic gas leak. The bodies would be torched beyond recognition. If Heero, Trowa, or Cathy were anywhere in the vicinity, they'd either be dead also, or be warned. Neither scenario comforted him at all, since they both included him dying.

He heard the elevator at the end of the hallway ping and held his breath. It could be back up for the other guy, or it could be one of the assassins. He sincerely hoped it was one of the latter. 

Muffled footsteps came closer and his eyes glued themselves to the corner where his new mystery guest would appear first. Yellow sneakers came into view, and he wilted in relief. Then all of Heero stepped into the hallway, and his relief was short lived.

Right behind that head of messy brown hair appeared a hand gun, one that Duo recognized as Heero's. The long-haired man smiled sadly. At least he wouldn't die alone.

****

  
Angstish, isn't it? Rejoin the story at Chapter 18, please.


	17. Nightmare

Duo rolled out of bed, his feet hitting the floor with a quiet thud. He thought about going to the bathroom to handle his problem, but decided against it. He really didn't want to have to explain to his 'guests' why it took him so long in the bathroom. 

He sighed, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. He ran a hand through his spiky bangs and let it slide down the back of his head, following the line of his braid. He flipped the trail of hair over his shoulder and took out the hair-tie, his fingers working at the braid until it was undone and his hair flowed over his shoulder.

A glance at the bedside clock showed that it was only six in the evening. At least he hadn't slept for half the night. There was still a chance that he could sleep like a normal person later. His right hand ran uncertainly along the hemline of his pants before dipping down.

~~~~~______~~~~~

The rest of the apartment was dark. He frowned. That seemed odd. When he had gone to bed, the others had seemed ready to spend at least the night, if not longer. He could almost understand Wufei not being there, since he was still a detective and probably had to work and sleep at some point.

The absence of the others, however, was more pronounced. He had thought that it wasn't safe for Cathy outside the apartment, but it seemed that he had been misinformed. It didn't surprise him. Much.

If he was honest, had had kind of expected them to disappear on him without some warning, but it still hurt. 

He squared his shoulders and headed into the bathroom. He needed a shower and a change of clothes. There was a moment's hesitation during which he tried do decide to shower first and then get his clothes or get his clothes first and then shower.

He rolled his eyes at his own indecisiveness. "Clothes first." He walked into the still darkened bedroom and pulled the blanket off the window before throwing open the top drawer of the dresser. He sorted through the drawer by touch until he finally pulled out a pair of boxer shorts. In the second drawer, he picked a pair of soft-feeling pajama bottoms.

Back into the living room and then into the bathroom. He shut the door and turned on the light, then started the water for the shower. The light from the bathroom leaked under the door, lighting the rest of the dark, empty apartment.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

He stepped out of the shower thirty minutes later and wrapped a towel around his hair. Violet eyes sought out his body in the mirror on the back of the door, and he twisted this way and that, admiring his body. He had done the same thing every day since acquiring it, and he had yet to grow tired of it. It was hard to believe that he looked like _that_. He wasn't complaining though. 

He toweled his body dry and then stepped into his bedclothes. He was starting to feel tired again, a fact belied by a yawn that stole from his mouth. He smiled at himself in the mirror, baring his teeth for inspection next. His teeth now were okay, but Duet's had been better, perfected after three years in braces. He set about brushing his teeth next.

When he was done and satisfied that he was clean from top to bottom, he flipped off the light and then opened the door.

Silence greeted him, except for a near-silent hissing sound from across the room. "Great. The only people that I know have up and disappeared on me. Nothing like abandonment to make a girl…a man feel loved." He laughed over his own slip up. 

He yawned again, breaking off into a cough. He stumbled his way to the kitchen and reached for the switch that worked the light over the stove. His hand hesitated, as something in his mind clicked. He cocked his head to the side, listening. There was still that quiet hissing sound.

His nose wrinkled as he sniffed the air, and his eyes widened. The air was unnaturally thick, almost to the degree of being cloying. He slowly moved his hand away from the wall, taking a step back as he did so.

He heard the sound of a key in the lock and his eyes widened. The door opened, revealing nothing more than a silhouette in the light from the door. "Don't move!" The person froze. "There's a gas leak, and it's bad. Go next door and call the police."

The figure hesitated and the disappeared, leaving the door open. Duo made his way quickly out of the apartment, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it has he took a deep breath of clean air. He went to move down the hall, toward the open door of his neighbor where he assumed the other person had gone to, but has halted by a sharp tugging at the back of his head.

His braid was stuck in the door. He gritted his teeth and angled his body around so that he could cautiously open the door. The knob didn't budge. His eyes widened as he realized that the door was locked. He was stuck.

"Help!" He yelled, tugging frantically at the tail of his hair, hoping that his hair would come unstuck. "Somebody bring a pair of scissors!"

His voice echoed up and down the hallway. He frowned. If whoever had come to his door had gone for help, then someone from that apartment should have come out to check on him. He narrowed his eyes at the doorway that he could see. There didn't seem to be movement nor sound coming from hit. 

He twisted his body to face the other way and looked closely at the only other door in his hallway. The door was shut, or looked to be, but on closer inspection, he noticed that it was slightly ajar.

He wasn't alone on his floor, but whoever was out there didn't seem too friendly.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

Heero frowned at the street below. It was empty and had been for the better part of an hour. Behind him and across the rooftop, Trowa and Cathy stood guarding the rear of the building and the alleys beside it.

He turned around, his Prussian eyes narrowing as he studied them for a moment. His earliest lesson in life had been to trust no one, but it seemed that recently, he was having a difficult time following those rules.

He sighed quietly, turning back around to watch the street in front of Duo's apartment building. After a long discussion downstairs Wufei had left, and Heero had decided that the best way to protect themselves was to keep anyone from getting too close to the location they were staying at. The three of them had headed to the roof shortly after that.

At the end of the street to his left a shadow moved. He stiffened, his hand going to the gun in the back of his pants. A cat stepped out of the shadows and he relaxed fractionally. There was still too much danger to let his guard down completely.

"Someone should go down and check on Duo," Cathy announced, turning around to face Heero. Trowa was still keeping careful watch of the alley behind the apartment building.

Heero turned to look at her once and then returned his gaze to the street. "If you're so concerned about him then go." He said it coldly.

She sighed in frustration. "He's in danger because of us! It's not right to leave him without explanation! He deserves to know enough to at stay alive." Her anger was a palpable thing, but it was her logic and the fact that she was right that made Heero turn around.

"I'll go. Come up here." She looked at him in surprise, but complied. He walked away from her without further discussion. When he was gone, she smiled slightly. He might like to think that he was cold and heartless, but she was starting to think that that was little more than an act.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

Duo strived for patience and prayed for mercy. Neither strategy seemed to be working. The thick smell of gas was starting to leak under the door and into the hallway, and he'd heard a short, muffled scream come from the hallway perpendicular to his, then nothing.

The silence was interminable, making him want to scream in frustration. He didn't dare, for fear of attracting unwanted attention. He was slowly coming to the conclusion that he wasn't the only person who was supposed to die of asphyxiation or in an explosion. 

From what he could tell, the 'other guy', as he had decided to deem him, was making his way through all of the apartments on the twelfth floor and killing all of the inhabitants. He sniffed the air again and his eyes widened.

There was too much gas in the hallway for it to have all come from his apartment. He looked at the open door on his right and whimpered in fear.

The whole upper floors of the building was going to explode, all due to one gigantic gas leak. The bodies would be torched beyond recognition. If Heero, Trowa, or Cathy were anywhere in the vicinity, they'd either be dead also, or be warned. Neither scenario comforted him at all, since they both included him dying.

He heard the elevator at the end of the hallway ping and held his breath. It could be back up for the other guy, or it could be one of the assassins. He sincerely hoped it was one of the latter. 

Muffled footsteps came closer and his eyes glued themselves to the corner where his new mystery guest would appear first. Yellow sneakers came into view, and he wilted in relief. Then all of Heero stepped into the hallway, and his relief was short lived.

Right behind that head of messy brown hair appeared a hand gun, one that Duo recognized as Heero's. The long-haired man smiled sadly. At least he wouldn't die alone.

**Angsty, isn't it? Rejoin the rest of the story at Chapter 18, please.**


End file.
